ARC-V2
by hellsdragon32196
Summary: Six months after the defeat of Zarc, a new threat is emerging. Now it's up to Yuya and the New Lancers to stop it. But they won't be alone, as they travel through other dimensions and meet some familiar faces of the past.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Hello everyone. This is my newest story and one I'm excited for. I won't update it as much as A New Awakening, but this is going to be a nice side project, plus a full new one once A New Awakening is finally finished (which won't be for a while). Anyway, please enjoy.**

* * *

Episode 1: Second Show Begins

In a strange dimension of pure white nothingness, a strange city is seen suspended in the air. Within that city is a mighty fortress, with a tall tower rising above the city in the center.

Beneath the city, a strange, massive orb is seen. Within the center of the orb is a strange creature. It is shaped like a lizard, with skin like white fire. The creature lets out a roar, a roar of pure rage. The roar resonates all around the area.

* * *

In Domino City, a large group of black clouds begin to form. No rain falls, but lightning crackles and ignites the sky. However, this is no ordinary lightning, as it flashes in all different colors, like the aurora borealis.

One of the buildings that it flashes over is a tall tower, with the letters KC at the top. Inside the building, many men and women in business suits and lab coats are either looking outside or going over to computer screens, looking over strange graphs and other images. The door to the room opens as two people enter.

One is a young boy about the age of fourteen. He had black hair that reached down to his neck and stuck out on the sides. He had dark blue eyes and whore a white business suit with a blue tie. Under the suit was a purple vest with a violet shirt. He wore blue business pants and shiny brown business shoes.

The other was a young man, who was about nineteen. He had brown hair the reached down to his neck, with one bit of hair slanting to the right of his nose. He had sharp blue eyes and a serious expression. He wore a long white coat with sharp shoulder pads. Underneath was a black long sleeved shirt with black jeans and shoes. On his upper arms and legs, he wore leather belt and metal armbands.

"Mr. Kaiba!" one of the business men said as he approached the two. "Things have gotten strange. We're getting readings like we've never seen before."

"Is it another dimensional spike?" the tall man named Kaiba asked.

"Yes, but it's stronger than some of the last ones." said the business man. "It's actually having an effect on the climate."

"Anything serious?" the young boy asked.

"Not as of yet." said the business man. "They haven't quite reached that high."

Kaiba approached one the screens and examined it.

 _Interesting._ He said to himself. _These spikes have been increasing for weeks now. But where are they coming from?_

"I have a meeting to attend to." said Kaiba. "Mokuba, stay here and help monitor the situation. If anything changes, let me know."

"No problem bro." the young boy named Mokuba said.

Kaiba then departed from the room as the strange lightning gave a mighty crack outside.

* * *

On an island lay a domed building called Duel Academy. The building has three cylinder towers surrounding the main dome, with the tops of the cylinders colored red, blue, and yellow, representing the student ranking.

Within the office of the school's chancellor, two men were watching a storm like the one in Domino City above their heads. One was a bald man with a brownish gray circle beard. He wore a dark red overcoat over a yellow business shirt with a light red tie. He had black jeans on with brown business shoes.

The other man had blonde hair that is sectioned in two layers, with the layer farthest from his face tightly-bound in a ponytail, On his ears were crescent-shaped earrings. He had on a blue coat like the other man's, complete with gold trimmings and ruffled pink collar, shoulders, upper chest, and sleeves.

"Looks like a storm." said the blonde haired man.

"Indeed." said the bald man. "I wasn't expecting one today."

"Well you know those weathermen chancellor." the blonde haired man shrugged. "Always off."

"I suppose." said the chancellor. "But there seems to be something strange about this storm."

"Whatever do you mean?" the blonde haired man asked.

"I'm not sure." said the chancellor. "Just something in my gut."

"Perhaps it's that stale rice cake you ate." the blonde haired man said sarcastically.

"Don't remind me Crowler." The chancellor sighed. "I should've checked the expiration date on that treat the moment Ms. Dorothy gave it to me."

A growl came from the chancellor as he clutched his chest. He then quickly fled the office as he ran to the nearest bathroom. The blonde haired man named Crowler chuckled as he watched his boss race to the restroom before looking out the window again, watching the strange storm rage on.

* * *

Within the city of New Domino, an argument was going on between three top officials of the city's Sector Security. While this was happening within the Sector Security headquarters, the mighty storm was raging above them, with lightning crackling outside. However, they paid no heed as they continued to argue.

"I've told you a thousand times Trudge, we don't have it in the budget." a short, clown like man was shouting.

"We need them on the runners." a large man in an officers uniform named Trudge barked at the small man. "I know those chips are expensive, but criminals are getting them on the black market making it harder for us to catch them. If we get those chips, the speed and performance of our runners will be able to match them."

"I understand that." the short man said. "But we're still trying to work out the damage after the WRGP. There's still a lot to do."

"We've finished enough of it to be safe for us to take a break from it." said a woman with short blue hair and a business suit and blouse.

"Oh that would go great with the public." said the short man sarcastically. "Stop the repairs of New Domino City to give our police force better runners. Great for our image."

"Who cares about image when it concerns the safety of our people?" Trudge barked.

"You think I'm not concerned about the safety of the citizens?" the small man challenged.

Suddenly, a screen popped up in front of them. On the monitor was a man in a lab coat. He had a large shock of brown hair in a style resembling the blade of an axe. He has long bangs and wears amber-tinted glasses. The man had an excited expression on his face.

"Director Lazar!" He said excitedly.

"What is it Zigzix?" the short man named Lazar said impatiently. "I'm in the middle of something here."

"Well your gonna wanna listen to this." the man named Zigzix said. "It's the Ener-D Reactor. It's getting quite the jolt in energy."

"An energy spike?" the woman asked.

"Yessir!" said Zigzix, doing a twirl as he did. "I assure you it's nothing dangerous yet, but somethings making the reactor go crazy. It's surging like a moth hitting a light!"

"But how can that be?" Lazar asked. "Do you know what the cause is?"

"No definitive answer, but I'm guessing it's this storm." said Zigzix.

"Impossible." said Trudge, looking out the window. "The reactor isn't affected by electrical storms."

"Normally, yes." said Zigzix. "But our radars are showing that this is no ordinary storm. We're not sure exactly what it is, but the lightning in this storm is anything but natural."

"Strange." said Lazar. "Record your findings and report them to me once your done. I want to have a look."

"Of course Director." Zigzix said with a bow. The screen then disappeared.

"What do you think sir?" the woman asked.

"I'm not sure Mina." said Lazar. "The last time the reactor increased in energy was when the Crimson Dragon appeared."

"But the dragon departed." said Mina. "And it won't be back for another 5,000 years."

"Then what else could it be?" Trudge asked.

Lazar finally looked out the window and saw the storm. He himself pondered what was going on as the strange lightning burst overhead.

* * *

Above Heartland city, lightning flashed as dark clouds formed. One of the buildings that it was over was a large tower with a heart on top. Inside the tower, three people were looking over several monitors. One of them was a man with light purple eyes, pale skin and blonde hair that is curled up in a point three. His attire includes a black trench coat with a high collar, fingerless white glove on his right hand, and white pants with black boots. He also has a gray belt and has a golden earring on his left ear.

The other was a child. The young boy had blond hair, with some of it braided, resting over his right shoulder. He is outfitted in light greenish victorian clothing. He also wears a metallic crowned mask that reveals parts of his face.

Another man in the room looked like a great adventurer. He has dark tan skin, brown eyes, black spiky hair and beard. He wears an adventurer's hat, a green-like shirt, and pants.

"Byron, Kazuma, look at this." said the tall blonde haired man.

"I can see it from my monitor Faker." said the boy, named Byron.

"What is it?" the other man named Kazuma asked.

"It doesn't appear to be from Astral World." said Byron.

"That's what's strange about it." said Faker. "It's a reading I've never seen before."

"It's causing something to happen outside." said Kazuma. "There's a storm going on and the lightning is very strange."

"How so?" Byron asked.

"The coloring." said Kazuma. "It's a whole flash of different colors. Lightning is usually white, light blue, or yellow."

"Perhaps the lightning is the cause of the disturbance." said Byron.

"Or perhaps the lightning is happening because of the disturbance." said Faker.

"Then what does it mean?" Kazuma asked.

* * *

A mighty storm rages above Paradise city. In the headquarters of the Leo Institute, a young man is watching the storm. He is a thin young man with pale skin and grey hair, the front layer being a lighter grey than the back. His hair is arranged in a simple style, flicking upwards at the ends. His eyes are purple, and he wears red-framed spectacles. His ears are both pierced with black stud earrings. His attire is rather casual, wearing a dark-blue sweater, white pants that end just above his ankles, and white shoes, along with a long red scarf wrapped around his shoulders with the ends trailing to the small of his back.

Joining him are a man and woman. The man is a stocky, fair-skinned man with black hair that has four grey bangs at the front, and blue-lensed hexagonal glasses. He is wearing a grey business suit with a blue tie. A woman was there too, holding an infant. She is a fair-skinned woman with blue eyes and magenta hair curled into the shape of a heart. She wears a dark pink skirt and blouse with with a high collar lined in black, and padded shoulders, in addition to magenta high-heeled shoes with golden attachments that resemble snakes curling around her ankles. The woman is also wearing gold long earrings and a golden necklace in a similar style with red lipstick and nail-polish.

The infant she is holding has short purple hair and large blue eyes. She has rosy cheeks and is wearing a light blue onesie. The baby was also shaking, making nervous noises as the lightning cracked.

"Declan, what's going on?" the woman asked the young boy.

"I'm not sure mother." said the boy named Declan. "I've never seen a storm like this."

"Nor have we ever had readings like this." said the business man. "They're off the charts."

"Not only that, but they're not coming from the other dimensions." said Declan. "Which begs the question, where are they coming from?"

"I don't know." the woman said. "But whatever it is, it's bothering Riley."

Declan turned towards his mother and looked at the baby girl, who was named Riley. He walked up to her and pat her on the head reassuringly. Riley was still shaking, but seemed to calm down.

"I'm wondering if it's Riley that's being disturbed." said Declan. "Or is it Zarc."

"But I thought Zarc was gone?" the businessman asked.

"Zarc's soul has been cleansed Claude." said Declan. "But his soul is still in Riley body."

"I see." said Claude. "So it could be Zarc reacting to this phenomenon?"

"Yes." said Declan. "We should monitor and record this. We'll study it later."

"Yes sir." said Claude.

He then left the room as Declan and his mother continued to watch the storm raging outside.

* * *

The day after the storm, a young boy is found sleeping in his room. He has dual-colored green and crimson hair of average length sticking out in downwards pointing spikes all around his head one short upwards pointing spike of green hair. He slept soundly as an alarm began to blare. He awoke with a start, revealing his crimson eyes. He shot out of bed and turned the alarm clock off.

"I better hurry or I'll be late." He said.

"Well maybe you should have set your alarm sooner." said a snide voice in the boys head.

"But then he wouldn't have been able to get some extra sleep." another voice said.

"Well, it would better if he wasn't late." said yet another voice.

As the first boy got dressed, the figures of three other boys appeared. They were each transparent, as if they were ghosts. All of the boys had the same face, but different eye colors. One boy had gray eyes and hair that was black in the back with light purple in the front. Unlike the first boy, whose hair lies flat, this boy's hair sweeps upward and to the right side of his head and is far more spiked. He wears a punk-style outfit, with a dull green formal shirt and dark blue tie, as well as a black cape-like garment with ripped sleeves and edges plus dark blue pants and black boot-like shoes. Around his wrists are bands with black silver studs.

Another boy has very short, thick, pink eyebrows and purple eyes. Like his counterparts, his hair is two-toned, in his case being uniformly violet with pink underneath - his fringes extending to frame his face, with two pointing upwards. His outfit appears to be an officer's uniform of sorts, consisting of a purple and light blue waistcoat, pink cravat, a two-part cape of red and purple coat that resembles one that the first boy was putting on, a purple abbreviated coat with thick cuffs and gold shoulder bands with an amber-colored setting, fastened at the collar bone, and light blue pants tucked into silver-tinted leather boots.

The third and final boy also resembled the other three, except his hair is dual-colored, with yellow bangs swept to the right and blue in the back. He has greenish-blue eyes. He wears a white jacket with red borders and yellow stripes on the sleeves, along with a white jumpsuit that has red, blue, and yellow stripes that meet in the center in a chevron pattern, white gloves, shoulder, elbow and knee pads, and white, red, and gray boots.

Now fully dressed, the first boy is now wearing a good-luck charm pendant on a simple string around his neck, and a buckled choker, and a pair of golden goggles with orange lenses on his forehead, with a blue star obscuring the right lens. He has put on a simple orange t-shirt with a thick, silver-buckled brown belt over it, green pants with what appear to be "Deck pockets" on each leg, and magenta shoes, as well as crimson wristbands. He also wears his gold and red lined white jacket over his shoulders like a cape. He then puts on a pair shoes that extend into rollerblades.

The boy is known as Yuya Sakkaki. Yuya is a dueltainer, which is a duelist who tries to entertain the crowd while he duels for their enjoyment. The spirit like boys that resemble him are his counterparts from the parallel dimensions of his world. Yuya is from the Pendulum dimension, which specializes in Pendulum summoning (a summoning method Yuya himself discovered). The black haired boy was Yuto, who hailed from the XYZ dimension. The blue haired boy was Yugo, who came from the Synchro Dimension. And the purple haired boy, Yuri, came from the Fusion dimension. Each dimension correlated to the preferred summoning method of the people there, which were Synchro, XYZ, Fusion, and Pendulum. Though Yuya has mastered all of the summoning methods, his preferred method is Pendulum summoning.

Before leaving his room, Yuya looked over his deck, taking out four cards in particular. These cards were Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, and, his ace monster, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

"It's still strange having all of these dragons." said Yuya. "Especially after everything we've learned about them."

"And about us." said Yuto. "But that's all in the past. Zarc is gone and the dragons are at peace."

"Yeah." said Yugo. "Which means we can duel in peace. And at our best."

"We better." said Yuri. "I don't want to be stuck in this body if Yuya starts slacking."

"You won't need to worry about that." Yuya smiled. "Now that I'm in the pro league, there's no room for slacking off."

"Speaking of which." said Yuri. "You best be going."

"Right." said Yuya.

Yuya then ran out of his room and went downstairs. His mother, Yoko, was cooking him breakfast when she saw him fly by.

"Yuya." She said. "Slow down and eat something."

"Oh right." said Yuya, grabbing a breakfast sandwich from the counter. "Thanks mom!"

He then clenched the sandwich in his teeth and ran out the door. He then jumped in the air and flicked his shoes. Wheels then materialized on the bottom of the shoes as Yuya began to skate towards his destination, eating his sandwich as he went.

Along the way, he reflected on everything that happened six months ago. Before the dimensions were split in four, they used to be just one dimension, where each of the summoning methods were used. In that dimension, a scientist named Leo Akaba discovered Solid Vision, a form of holograms that were alive. As long as the subject was made by the system, it was as real as real gets. Leo implemented this system into the game of duel monsters and it was a huge success. With this success, new duelists and new ways of dueling began to emerge. And that's where Zarc comes in.

In the original dimension, Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri used to be one person, a dueltainer named Zarc. Zarc strived to be the best and essentially pioneered dueltaining. However, after an accident in one of his duels, he seriously injured his opponent. Instead of being scared or concerned however, the crowd enjoyed it and demanded that Zarc be more brutal. Zarc complied with their demands and with every duel, he grew more violent and more insane.

Eventually, with no one left to challenge him, Zarc challenged the world and unleashed his four dragons, the very ones that were in Yuya's deck now. The dragons were angry at the crowd for demanding such brutality and they unleashed their rage upon them with the help of the Solid Vision. However, this was still not enough. Eventually, with the help of a mysterious monster known as Astrograph Sorcerer, Zarc merged with his dragons to become a monstrous new entity, the Supreme King Z-ARC.

Zarc was unstoppable. He waged war on humanity and wiped out everyone and everything in his path. Eventually, Leo Akaba created four cards to counteract Zarc and weaken him. However, before he could use them, they were stolen by his daughter Ray. In his stead, Ray used the four cards to defeat Zarc. The battle caused the dimension to split into four, with the summoning method corresponding to the dragon that was sent there. This also created Pendulum Summoning, though this power would lay dormant until another time. Leo survived and arrived in the Standard dimension, which is now the Pendulum dimension.

Unbeknownst to him, Zarc and Ray survived. When the dimensions split, they split into four beings. Zarc split into Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri while Ray split into Zuzu, Yuya's best friend, Lulu, Yuto's close friend, Rin, Yugo's friend from childhood, and Celina, a classmate of Yuri. Each of Zarc's counterparts received the dragon that corresponded with their dimension. Though the dragons liked their new masters, they knew Zarc was still alive and desired to be reunited.

Eventually, Zarc's spirit began to awaken within Yuya around the time Leo Akaba underwent his plans to unite the dimensions and resurrect Ray after he got his memories back. This caused the creation of Pendulum summoning and helped Odd-Eyes Dragon to become Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Yuya would enter this conflict once Leo's son, Declan, would organize the Lancers to stop Leo's plan. Through the war that was raged throughout the dimensions, Zarc slowly began to consume Yuya until he finally resurfaced, using Yuya as his host. The Lancers and other allies of the different dimensions fought Zarc to no avail, as Zarc was even more powerful now that he had Pendulum summoning. It wasn't until Riley Akaba, with the help of Ray's spirit, used the four cards that sealed Zarc before to stop him. Instead of Zarc splitting apart, Riley absorbed Zarc's soul, causing her to become a baby. This also turned the Standard dimension into the Pendulum dimension.

However, it wasn't over. Zarc's soul was inside of Riley and it would eventually resurrect. Yuya, who now held the souls of his counterparts, had to make Riley smile in order to cleanse Zarc's soul. Through a series of duels against many of his friends and allies, Yuya managed to gain the trust of his dragons and cause Riley to smile. Afterwards, Yuya was made a pro duelist. Zuzu was also restored, as she now carried the souls of Ray's counterparts.

Yuya arrived at his destination, the stadium. At the entrance, Yuya's friends were waiting. One of them was Zuzu. She has blue eyes and dark pink midback-length hair, which she wears tied up in pigtails, clipped down by blue, spherical hair clips. Her hair also features two lighter pink bangs that fall to the side of her face. Zuzu's outfit consists of a sleeveless light-blue and white shirt with a green musical note on the right collar, along with a red tie, which she wears with a dark red skirt, dark stockings, and pink sneakers.

Yuya's other friend, Gong Strong, was there as well. Gong has a huge frame, easily equivalent in height to some adults. While he has a fairly round face, he is stockily built and rather muscular. Gong has black hair styled into a large pompadour, restrained by a red band, and his nose is somewhat redder than the rest of his face. There is a constant blush on his cheeks. Gong appears to wear a jacket like Yuya's over a buttoned white coat that has golden trim, as well as white pants. Gong wears a white sash crossed over his back, tied at the left shoulder.

Finally, Yuya's former classmates of the You Show Duel School were there as well. There was Frederick, a chubby boy with blonde hair and a german accent. There was Allie, a little girl with bright red hair with a large multi-colored headband. And there was also Tate, a young boy with blue hair.

"About time you showed up!" said Tate.

"Yuya, did you even set your alarm?" asked Zuzu.

"Of course I did." said Yuya. "It just happened to be on the later side. A guy needs his sleep."

"You tell'em Yuya." Yuya heard Yugo say.

Well, you're here now." said Gong. "So get your butt in gear and head over to the arena. Gong and the others will be rooting for ya."

"Thanks Gong." said Yuya "Hey, where's Sylvio?"

"Supposedly sick." said Gong. "He sounded fine when Gong saw him earlier though. Maybe just wants some alone time."

"I guess." said Yuya. "Haven't really seen him much lately now that I think about it."

"I'm sure he's just busy." said Zuzu. "Speaking of which, you better get busy and head to the arena."

"Right." Yuya nodded. He then entered the stadium and headed towards the locker room.

A half hour later, the stadium had filled up with people watching the duel. Nico Smiley, a skinny man in a pink, yellow, and black jacket with a ribbon tie was commentating on the match. The duel was between Yuya and Julia Krystal, a dark skinned girl who was the top fusion duelist at the Leo Institute of dueling. The match took place in the action field Majestic Coliseum. The duel was close, with Yuya having 2600 life points and Julia having 3000. Julia had her ace fusion monster on the field, Gem-Knight Master Diamond, while Yuya had his ace, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, along with Performapal Drummerilla. Yuya's pendulum zone consisted of Xiangke Magician and Xiangsheng Magician. Yuya and Julia both had one facedown and it was Yuya's turn.

"You can't beat me Yuya." said Julia. "I'm one step closer to becoming a professional duelist. Once I beat you, I'm in the pro league. And thanks to Master Diamond, you can't touch him even with your Odd Eyes."

"We'll see." said Yuya. "Ladies and gentleman, I think it's time for a pendulum summon. My monsters are ready, to-"

"Stay where they are!" Julia shouted. "I activate the the trap Pendulum Clearing. This trap destroys every monster in the pendulum zone and the controller of those cards gets to draw one card for each monster destroyed."

With that, Yuya's pendulum monsters were destroyed. Yuya then drew two cards. One was Break Away, the other, to his surprise, was Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio.

"When did that get in my deck?" Yuya asked himself, surprised.

"Thought you might need hand." Yuya heard Yuri say. "Besides, you Performapals can't have all the fun."

"A nice move Julia." said Yuya. "For now, I'm going to play a facedown and end my turn."

"My turn then." said Julia. "I draw. I activate the effect of Master Diamond. I banish Gem-Knight Prismura to gain its special ability. With that ability, I discard Gem-Knight Tourmaline to destroy your Odd-Eyes."

With that, Odd-Eyes is destroyed. However, due to it being a pendulum monster, it is sent to the top of the extra deck instead of the graveyard.

"Things are getting heated folks." said Smiley. "Master Diamonds attack may have dropped by a hundred points, but its still packing a mean punch with 3300 atk points. Yuya better act fast."

"Master Diamond, attack Performapal Drummerilla." Julia shouted.

Master Diamond charged towards Drummerilla. Yuya activates it's ability just in case, allowing to gain 600 atk, making it's attack 2200. However, he began to frantically look for an action card. He eventually spotted one and made his way towards it. When he went to reach for it however, something happened.

Suddenly, Yuya found himself in a white void. In front of him was what appeared to be a man. The man had long flowing silver hair and wore wizards clothing. The inside of his cape was full of space, with stars gleaming and dazzling as the cape fluttered about. His clothing was also blue like his cape, full of the shapes of stars and cosmos.

"Astrograph Sorcerer." said Yuya in awe. "What are you doing here? In fact, where is here?"

The monster didn't answer. Instead, it raised it's staff and vanished. Suddenly, Yuya returned to the duel as he missed the action card. This resulted in his monster getting destroyed and being hit with 1100 points of damage.

"Oh, that must have hurt." said Smiley. "Yuya went for an action card, but seemed to fall short."

"What happened?" said Tate.

"Gong don't know." said Gong. "Yuya doesn't usually freeze up like that."

Yuya got his bearings back and turned towards Julia, who was on Master Diamonds shoulder.

"Thought you could better than that Yuya." She said. "Losing your touch?"

"Not even close." said Yuya. "It's time for the curtain call."

"I agree." said Julia. "I end my turn. Show me what you've got."

"No problem." said Yuya. "I draw!"

After his draw, spotlights suddenly appeared and surrounded Yuya as he addressed the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman." said Yuya. "As you can see, some of my usual players have left the building. My pendulum zone is empty and I have no monsters on the field. So I think it's high time to introduce some new cast members to the show to even the playing the field."

Yuya sighed and stared intently at Julia.

"Ready Yuri?" Yuya said to himself.

"Of course." said Yuri.

"I summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio." said Yuya. The monster then appeared on the field, much to everyone's surprise.

"Isn't that one of Yuri's cards?" Gong asked Zuzu.

"Yeah, when did Yuya get it?" Zuzu said surprised.

"When Othrys Scorpio is summoned." said Yuri through Yuya. "I can discard a monster in my hand to special summon another predaplant from deck."

"I discard Performapal Hip Hippo." said Yuya. "To special summon Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra."

From his deck, the new monster is summoned alongside it's comrade.

"When Darlingtonia Cobra is special summoned." said Yuya.

"I can add either Polymerization or a Fusion card from my deck to my hand." said Yuri.

"I choose to add Odd-Eyes Fusion to my hand." said Yuya. "Which I'm going to play right now!"

"With it, I can fusion summon." said Yuri. "Using monsters from my field or hand as fusion material."

As Yuya and Yuri perform the summon and chant, the monster begins to materialize.

"I fuse Ophrys Scorpio and Darlingtonia Cobra." said Yuya.

"And together they will bring the most toxic monster ever seen!" said Yuri.

"I Fusion Summon!" said Yuya. "The vicious"

"Voracious." said Yuri.

"And venomous." said Yuya.

"Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" said Yuya and Yuri simultaneously

With that, one of Yuya's most powerful monsters appears.

"Now this is a fight." said Smiley. "Normally, Yuya would bring this monster out with a combination of pendulum and fusion summoning. However, thanks to his new monsters, he managed to bring out his dragon without pendulum summoning. And it looks like we're about to get a clash between fusion monsters."

"I activate Starving Venom Fusion Dragons special ability." said Yuya. "When he's summoned, he absorbs all of the attack points of your monster."

Yuya's monster then emits a purple light and gains the atk strength of Juiia's Master Diamond, raising his attack to 6300.

"It's enough to beat my monster, but not me." said Julia. "I'll still survive."

"No you won't." said Yuya. "I activate the trap, Pendulum Reborn."

Yuya then reveals his earlier set card.

"With it, I can revive a pendulum monster in my graveyard or extra deck." said Yuya. "Come on back, Performapal Drummerilla."

Drummerilla then appeared and stood alongside Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

"Starving Venom Fusion Dragon attack." said Yuya. "And with that attack comes Drummerilla's effect, raising my monsters attack by 600."

As Yuya's dragon prepares to attack, Julia makes a mad dash for an action card. Yuya follows suit and grabs one as she does.

"I play Miracle." said Julia. "With that, Master Diamond isn't destroyed and I only take half the damage."

"I play No Action." said Yuya. "This cancels out your action spell."

With that, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon attacks and destroys Master Diamond, causing Julia to lose the last of her life points. Yuya has won.

"An excellent duel." said Smiley over the roaring crowd. "One I'm sure we'll remember for ages."

But Yuya wasn't thinking about the duel. He was lost in thought about his encounter with Astrograph Sorcerer earlier. He hadn't seen that monster since he was Zarc.

 _Why did appear?_ He asked himself. _What did it mean?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Whew. That took a while. Especially when writing those duels. Still, I enjoy this story, though this will probably take a lot more time to come even close to where A New Awakening is at now. Anyway, enjoy chapter/episode 2 of ARC-V2. Will be working on the next chapter for A New Awakening next.**

* * *

Episode 2: Rolling into Action

Yuya was lost in thought as he walked with his friend Zuzu to the You Show Duel School. Yuya technically wasn't a student there anymore, but he came on weekends to help out and duel anyone who wanted to challenge him.

Yuya was thinking about the vision he had the other day about Astrograph Sorcerer. Why did that monster appear before him so suddenly? After all, he hadn't seen it since Zarc used it to revive himself. But Zarc wasn't in his body anymore, it was in Riley's. Did it appear before Riley?

"Yuya?" Zuzu said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" said Yuya. "Oh. Sorry Zuzu. What were you saying?"

"I was talking about what we should do for our next school trip." said Zuzu. "Dad wants us to go to the Museum of Dueling, but we did that last year. I think we should go to place where duel monster cards are made, we've never been there before."

"Yeah." said Yuya. "Sounds like fun."

"Yuya, what's wrong?" Zuzu asked, concerned for her friend.

"I told you what happened during my duel with Julia, right?" Yuya asked.

"Yeah." said Zuzu. "You had that vision of Astrograph Sorcerer. Is that what's bothering you?"

"Mm-hm." said Yuya. "I mean, the last time Astrograph Sorcerer appeared, I used it to become Zarc."

"You mean Zarc used it." said Zuzu. "Your not Zarc anymore Yuya."

"Point is." said Yuya. "I don't think that monster appearing suddenly before me is a good sign."

"Well, it can't have anything to do with Zarc." said Zuzu. "Zarc's soul is in Riley's body now and thanks to you, it's not evil anymore."

"I hope your right." said Yuya. "But if it isn't Zarc, what else could it be?"

"I don't know Yuya." said Zuzu.

The two finally arrived at their destination, the You Show Duel School. Named after Yuya's father, Yusho Sakaki, this facility was the top place for people to become Dueltainers. The school had several parts to it. The entrance was an elevator, which lead to the main halls and classrooms. Next to it was the duel field, which had an ARC system donated by the Leo Institute. There was also a slide in the back that went behind the school all the way back to the front.

Yuya and Zuzu walked into the elevator and went the first floor. When they entered, everyone was waiting for them.

"There you two are." said Skip Boyle, Zuzu's father. "Your late. Frederick and Tate are almost done with their duel."

Skip Boyle was a middle aged man and the principal of the You Show Duel School. He has dark blue eyes and brown/orange hair. He often wears a red/orange jumpsuit with a green trim and red fire design. Underneath, Skip wears a dark blue shirt with another fire design. He also wears a white whistle.

Inside the duel field, Tate and Frederick were dueling. Tate was winning so far, being at 2000 life points compared to Frederick's 500 life points. It was also Tate's turn.

"My next attack will finish you." said Tate."Performachine Gadget Giant, attack Doodle Beast Spino. And when that happens, Gadget Giant can automatically destroy your monster since it was special summoned."

Tate's monster then destroyed Frederick's Doodle Beast Spino.

"Then I activate the quick spell, Damage Burst." said Tate. "When I destroy a monster using a special ability, you take 800 points of damage."

The spell then shot a blast of energy at Frederick, ending the duel.

"Good work Tate." said Skip. "That was a great duel! You did well too Frederick."

"You were great Frederick." said Tate, high fiving Frederick.

"You were wonderful." said Frederick.

"Tate's been stepping up." said Yuya. "I'd say he's almost top of the class now."

"He's not You Show's pride and joy yet though." said Skip, looking at his daughter with a huge grin.

"Dad." said Zuzu, embarrassed.

"A marvelous job." said a voice behind them.

Everyone turned to see the other founder of the school, Yuya's father Yusho. Yusho has black hair with inky-green shading and a purple top hat with green goggles on the bottom side. Yusho is fair skinned and has golden eyes, and a slight mustache and goatee. He wears a performer's outfit; a red jacket with a purple lining and red pants over an orange waistcoat with a blue collar and lined with yellow. He wears a kerchief around his neck and a purple top hat goggles attached to it. Strapped to his side was a red staff topped with a blue orb.

"Hey dad." Yuya said happily.

"Back from the XYZ Dimension already?" Skip asked.

"Indeed." said Yusho. "And I brought some company."

Yusho was referring to two people behind him. One was a girl named Saya. Saya is a bespectacled young girl with blue eyes and short light-purple and lilac hair that is restrained by light green and orange hair clips that resemble bicycle helmets. Saya wears a light blue dress with a teal turtleneck under a tan dress held up with brown shoulder straps and a blue belt that has a golden symbol resembling twin birds back to-back and green and orange pouches at both hips. She also wears brown tights, white fingerless gloves, white leg warmers with teal cuffs and straps, and light-orange shoes with green soles.

The other was a boy named Allan. Allen is a short boy with red spiky hair and bushy eyebrows. His eyes are teal and the front of his bangs are lined with yellow. Allen wears a maroon long-sleeved shirt, grey pants and yellow boots with white tongues and grey soles under a purple poncho that is emblazoned with a blue shield shape and green diamonds; two on the lower part of the shield and two smaller ones on each shoulder.

"So this is the first You Show Duel School?" Saya asked. "It's really cool."

"Eh, I've seen better." Allen shrugged.

"What brings you guys here?" Zuzu asked.

"Consider us exchange students." said Allen.

"I thought it would be best to give this a try." said Yusho. "Having students from different dimensions visiting each branch of the school."

"That's awesome!" said Allie excitedly.

"Sure is." said Allen with a stupid grin. He then turned to Yuya. "Now down to business. Yuya, you and I are dueling!"

"What?" Yuya asked surprised.

"What's the matter?" Allen said. "Afraid you'll lose?"

"Not a chance." said Yuya.

"Allen, we just got here." said Saya.

"I think it would be a splendid idea." said Yusho.

"Then let's get the field ready." said Skip.

Yuya and Allen then got on the field and got ready.

"Ok guys." said Skip from within the ARC System operating board room. "Let's get this started. Activating Action Field: Skate Park."

Skip pressed the button and a fancy skate park materialized around them. The two then activated their duel disks and got ready.

"Let's duel." They both said together.

"Visitors first." said Allen. "I play one card face-down. Then I'll summon Night Express Knight."

Allen then summoned his monster to the field. Once it was one the field, it started to do circles around Yuya.

"Wait, how did he do that?" Allie asked. "His monster is level 10. You need two tributes to summon it."

"That monster can be summoned without a tribute." said Saya. "However, it's attack becomes zero if it's summoned that way."

"I'm not done there." said Allen. "Since I summoned my Night Express Knight, I can special summon Heavy Freight Train Derricrane. However, if I do that, it's attack and defense are halved."

Allen's next monster then appeared and began circling Yuya with it's companion.

"He's got two level 10 monsters." said Yuto in Yuya's head. "You know what that means."

"I overlay Night Express Knight and Heavy Freight Train Derricrane." said Allen.

His monsters then turned into orbs of orange light, which burst into the air before landing in a black and yellow portal that appeared on the field. Once the two monsters were inside, a burst of lightning shot out of the portal as a new monster began to materialize.

"Now meet the mightiest train of all." said Allen. "With a force that'll knock any opponent into next week. I XYZ summon Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max."

Allen's new monster, an XYZ monster, then appeared. It was train, with a huge cannon barrel.

"I activate my Cannon's ability." said Allen. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can inflict you with 2000 points of damage."

As the cannon began to charge, Yuya activated his roller skates and frantically began to look for an Action card.

"Not so fast." said Allen. He then activated his own roller skates and began looking for an Action card as well.

"Got a new pair I see?" Yuya asked.

"Well, I had to, considering you've got my originals." said Allen. "Now take this."

Allen, grabbed an Action card. Unfortunately, it was the action card Lousy Luck, which inflicts 800 damage to whoever picks it up. The card zapped Allen, lowering his life points to 3200.

Yuya was a bit more lucky. He grabbed an Action spell the moment the cannon fired.

"I play Acceleration." said Yuya. "This allows me to evade any effect damage this turn."

The Action card then propelled Yuya past the cannon blast, allowing him to avoid taking any damage.

"You just got lucky Yuya." said Allen. "I lay one more face-down, then end my turn."

Allen set his card and his turn ended. He was down 800 points while Yuya still had all 4000.

"Then it's my move." said Yuya. "I draw."

Yuya drew his card. It was the Phantom Knights of Wrong Magneteering. Yuya looked at his hand and noticed he had another one as well. Yuya nodded to Yuto and then made his move.

"I'll start by setting my Pendulum scale." said Yuya, holding up his two cards. "With my scale one Stargazer Magician and my scale eight Timegazer Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!"

Yuya set his cards as his duel disk spelled out the word PENDULUM. Yuya's two pendulum monsters then appeared before him.

"With it, I can special summon monsters between levels 2-7." said Yuya. "Swing far pendulum!" Carve the arc of victory!"

A pendulum then appeared above Yuya and began to swing as a hole appeared under it.

"My monsters are ready." said Yuya. "To swing into action!"

Two bursts of light then appeared, bringing out Yuya's monsters.

"Let's cut things down Performapal Swordfish." said Yuya. "Turn up the heat Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon."

Yuya's monsters then appeared, with Odd-Eyes letting out a ferocious battle cry in the form of a mighty roar.

"Ok Swordfish." said Yuya. "Do your thing."

Swordfish then split into several different swordfish and stabbed Allen's cannon, lowering it's attack points to 2400.

"I can also use this effect again." said Yuya. "Since I special summoned Odd-Eyes along with swordfish."

"Oh no." said Allen as Swordfish repeated it's effect. It's attack was now 1800.

"Odd-Eyes, attack." said Yuya, jumping onto his dragon.

Odd-Eyes let out a blast of flames from it's mouth, but Allen was ready for this.

"Nice try Yuya." said Allen. "I play the trap, De-Rail. This negates your attack and let's me summon a level four EARTH monster from my deck. And I'll go with this one."

The attack from Odd-Eyes was blocked as a card from Allen's deck popped out. Allen grabbed the card and played it.

"Say hello to Express Train Trolley Olley." said Allen, summoning his monster.

"I can't do anything else." said Yuya. "So I'll end my turn there with these two face-downs."

Yuya set his cards, ending his turn.

"I'm up then." said Allen. "I draw. And I summon a second Express Train Trolley Olley."

Allen's second card was played, with the monster riding along with it's companion.

"Time to kick this up a notch." said Allen. "I overlay my level four Trolley Olleys."

The two monster then burst into orange light and went inside the black portal. Lightning once again burst out of it as Allen's monster appeared.

"Meet Heavy Armored Train Iron Wolf." said Allen. "A personal favorite of mine."

The monster appeared and it's engines roared.

"There's more." said Allen. "When I use Trolley Olley as an overlay unit, my monster gains 800 attack. And since I used two, he gains 1600 attack."

Heavy Armored Train Iron Wolf's attack raised from 2400 to 4000.

"That's a lot of attack points." said Allie.

"Yuya better be careful." said Saya. "Especially because of Iron Wolf's ability."

"I activate Gustav Maxes ability." said Allen. "I release it's final overlay unit to hit you with 2000 points of damage."

Allen's final overlay unit is released and the cannon fires again. Yuya tries to grab another action card, but is too late this time. He gets hit with the full blast, lowering his life points to 2000.

"Plus, Heavy Freight Train Derricrane has one more ability." said Allen. "When it's detached as an overlay unit, I can destroy one card on the field. I choose your Odd-Eyes."

With that, Allen destroys Odd-Eyes.

"When Odd-Eyes is destroyed, it doesn't get sent to the graveyard." said Yuya. "It's a pendulum monsters, which means it goes to the top of my extra deck."

"Doesn't matter." said Allen. "I play Iron Wolf's effect. I detach one overlay unit so that it can attack directly."

Iron Wolf's overlay unit disappeared as steam poured out of it's nostrils.

"Take'em down Iron Wolf." said Allen. "Run him over."

Iron Wolf charged, but Yuya was ready.

"I play Phantom Knights of Wrong Magneteering." said Yuya and Yuto simultaneously. "This negates your attack and allows me to summon it as a monster."

Yuya's trap activates and his new monster appears, stopping Allen's attack.

"Then I play a trap of my own." said Allen. "It's called Train Rescheduling. If a EARTH machine XYZ monster has it's attack negated, it can attack again. Plus, my opponent can't activate spells in response to this, so no action cards for you."

Iron Wolf revved up again and charged once more.

"Then I'll play my second Wrong Magneteering." said Yuya.

"Negating your attack once more." said Yuto.

The process then repeats, with Yuya's new monster appearing beside it's counterpart.

"Those are Yuto's cards." said Saya.

"First he uses Yuri's, then Yutos." said Zuzu. "Where is he getting them?"

"I end my turn." said Allen. "You're up Yuya."

"Right." said Yuya. "Your dueling really well Allen."

"I've been practicing since losing to the Tyler Sisters." said Allen proudly. "I didn't want to lose like that again, so I vowed to be as tough as them some day."

"Well you're certainly getting there." said Yuya. "But you've got a ways to go. Ok, I dra-"

Suddenly, Yuya felt a strange sensation in his head. Next thing he knew, he was transported somewhere else.

Yuya found himself floating over a large, dark ocean. Thunder and lightning of all sorts of reds and blues began flashing above and around him.

"Where am I?" Yuya asked, confused. "Did Astrograph Sorcerer do this?"

Yuya then looked up as a shadow loomed above him and let out a terrified yell. The outline of a giant, humanoid monster was looming before him. It had luminous inflamed eyes that seemed to stare into Yuya's soul. The monster also had a large, luminous red eye at the center of his abdomen. Glowing on his chest was some sort of strange symbol. It's wings were covered with red diamonds.

The creature raised it's hand and seemed to reach towards Yuya. However, a bright light appeared behind Yuya. When Yuya looked to see what it was, he saw that it looked like a boy, perhaps a few years older than him. However, there was something strange about him too. The boy was thin and had a transparent blue body with green markings and blue gems all over his body. He had blue hair that curled up in a Mohawk and pointed ears, which are pierced with dangling earrings. He also has heterochromic eyes, the left eye being luminous gold and the right a clear white.

The giant roared in rage and tried to blast the boy with a dark ball of energy. However, the boy used a golden energy shield to deflect the attack as he eyed the monster.

"This ends now." said the boy.

The boy's hand then glowed gold as a duel disk appeared on his arm. He then drew a card with his glowing hand as a burst of energy shot out, hitting the monster and blinding Yuya.

Yuya then opened his eyes to see that he was standing in front of Astrograph Sorcerer once again.

"What was that?" Yuya asked it. "Why did you bring me there?"

Once more, the monster didn't answer. It simply raised it's staff and Yuya was blinded again.

"Hey, Yuya." Yuya heard someone say.

Yuya opened his eyes again and found himself back in the duel with Allen.

"You just gonna stand there or make a move." said Allen impatiently.

"Oh, right." said Yuya. "Er, right. Sorry. I draw!"

"It happened again." Zuzu said silently to herself. "Did Yuya see Astrograph Sorcerer?"

"I activate my Phantom Knight's effect." said Yuya. "By destroying them both, I can draw two cards."

Yuya drew them and then got the exact card he was looking for.

"My monsters are ready." said Yuya. "To swing into action!"

The wormhole appeared again as three monsters burst out of it.

"Time to get cheering Performapal Cheermole!" said Yuya. "Dial up his destruction Performapal Long-Phone Bull! Turn up the heat Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Yuya's monsters appeared, with Odd-Eyes letting out another battle cry.

"And when I special summon monsters to my field, Swordfish's effect activates." said Yuya. "So your monsters lose 600 attack points. Not only that, but Long-Phone Bull can call another monster to my field. I choose Performapal Skeeter-Skimmer. And since Skeeter Skimmer is summoned, my Swordfish activates its effect again."

Yuya new monster appears as the attack of Allen's monsters gets lowered again, reducing his cannon to 600 and his Iron Wolf to 2800.

"My Iron Wolf is still stronger." said Allen.

"Not for long." said Yuya. Yuto then appeared next to him. "I overlay level four Long-Phone Bull with level four Skeeter Skimmer to build the Overlay Network."

Yuya's monsters then formed into an orange and blue light and got sent into the black and yellow portal.

"Cloaked in shadows." said Yuya.

"And relentless in its objective." said Yuto. "I call upon the most dangerous of dragons."

"I summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!" said Yuya and Yuto as the dragon appeared alongside Odd-Eyes. The two dragons roared in triumph.

"Oh great." said Allen, annoyed. "I did not need to see Yuto's dragon in this duel."

"I activate Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragons effect." said Yuya. "I detach one overlay unit to cut Iron Wolf's attack in half. Plus, Dark Rebellion gains that deduction as attack points."

With that, Yuya's monster sends a burst of purple lightning at Iron Wolf, absorbing it's attack. Allen's monster was now at 1400, while Yuya's dragon was at 3900.

"There's more." said Yuya. "Cheermole cheers my dragon on, lowering your monsters attack by 1000."

As Yuya's monster waves it's pom-poms, Iron Wolf's attack lowers to 400.

"Dark Rebellion, attack Heavy Armored Train Iron Wolf." said Yuya. "Mauling Mandible Charge."

Allen frantically tries to grab an action card. He successfully grabs one after leaping off a half pipe.

"I play Choice Choice." said Allen. "This cuts the damage in half."

With that, Allen only takes 1750 from the attack, lowing his life points 1450.

"It's not over yet." said Yuya. "Odd-Eyes, finish this. Spiral Flame Strike."

Odd-Eyes then charges and leaps into the air. A burst of crimson flames then bursts out of it's mouth, aiming towards Superdreadnought Cannon Gustav Max. Both duelists skated towards an Action card and played them at the same time.

"I play Evasion." said Allen. "Which means I can dodge the attack. Tough luck Yuya."

"Not exactly." said Yuya. "I play Oversword. My dragon gains 500 attack points and it's attack can't be negated. Do it Odd-Eyes!"

With it's attack uninterrupted, Odd-Eyes destroys Gustav Max and wipes out the rest of Allen's life points. Everyone watching applauded as the action field disappeared.

"Nice job Allen." said Yuya, holding out his hand.

"You too." said Allen, taking Yuya's hand. "That was a great duel. But why did you freeze up earlier?"

"Oh, no reason." said Yuya, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Just spaced out thinking of my next move I guess."

However, Yuya's thought drifted back to the vision. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to get the image of the strange boy and the massive monster out of his head anytime soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Episode 3: Life in the Fastlane

Yuya was suspended in space, stars shining all around him. He frantically looked around, wondering how he got there.

"Where am I?" He asked.

He saw planets appearing all around him, planets of all sorts of sizes and colors. They moved past him, as if they were shooting stars.

"Hello!" Yuya called out. "Can anyone hear me?"

No answer. Stars and asteroids began to pass him. Yuya wondered why this was happening, then he realized it wasn't the planets and stars that were moving, it was him. He looked on ahead as a strange light began to shine in the distance. It flashed, blinding Yuya.

When he regained his vision, he saw that he was above some sort of white smoke. The smoke was huge, at least he size of a planet, maybe even the sun. The smoke was beautiful too, a pure white. It glimmered with the stars around it.

"Whoa." said Yuya. "That's amazing!"

"Do not be fooled by it." a harsh voice to Yuya's right said. "It is nothing but evil."

Yuya jumped. To his right, someone was next to him. It was a shadowed figure dressed in black and gold medieval knight-esque armor with six tendril-like spikes, two jutting out of the armor's back and four jutting out of the shoulders, a headdress with a tall collar and a floor-length red cape. The being also wore a black helmet that functions as a crown, which was currently covering his face.

"Who are you?" Yuya asked. "And why is it evil?"

"The Light of Destruction." said the being. "It wants nothing more than to see our universe in ruin. It is my duty to destroy it. It shall be stopped."

Suddenly, the mist burst upwards into a pillar of light. The pillar then formed into a monstrous form, towering above Yuya and the newcomer. The mist then formed red eyes and a red moth, which was curled in a twisted smile.

"Foolish Supreme King." the light said. "You may have stopped me once, but you cannot stop what is to come. And this boy won't help you either!"

"The Supreme King?" Yuya asked in surprise, remembering that Zarc called himself that. "What's going on?"

"Look out!" the being called the Supreme King shouted.

Yuya was pushed aside as the Light of Destruction covered the Supreme King. The moment the light got closer, Yuya could feel a strange, cold sensation, something that felt like the opposite of light. Yuya then saw a piece of the Supreme King's helmet shatter and he stared at in in shock. It was gold, just like Zarc's was when he took control of Yuya. However, from what Yuya could tell, this was not Zarc. So why did their eyes look so similar?

"ENOUGH!" The Supreme King shouted.

The Supreme King then burst into a surge of darkness, separating him from the Light of Destruction. The darkness felt good to Yuya, as it if it felt full of life.

"You cannot defeat me again!" The Light of Destruction roared, getting larger a she did.

"Watch me!" the Supreme King roared back.

Yuya was then blinded as he opened his eyes. He was back in his bed. He looked at his clock and saw that it was nearly four in the morning.

"Yuya, what's wrong?" Yuya heard Yuto's voice say as he appeared before him, standing next to his bed.

"Yeah, really." Yuri yawned, materializing on his desk. "I happen to need by beauty sleep and your interrupting that my friend."

"Eh, your just as ugly when your awake." Yugo said, leaning on Yuya's dresser.

"Sorry guys." said Yuya. "Just had another nightmare."

"Another vision from Astrograph Sorcerer?" Yuri asked.

Yuya nodded.

"What did he show you this time?" Yuto asked.

"Some sort of light." said Yuya. "It was called the Light of Destruction. It was really weird. It was some sort of thing made of light, but it was powerful and scary."

"Weird." said Yugo. "Anything else."

"Yeah." said Yuya. "The light nearly destroyed me, but I was saved by somebody named The Supreme King?"

"Hold on!" Yugo said. "The Supreme King? You were saved by Zarc?"

"No, not Zarc." said Yuya. "This was someone different."

"Who?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not sure." said Yuya. "But it was odd. This guy was covered in some sort of darkness, but the darkness was...was wonderful. I felt happy, calm."

"It's like those two entities switched places." said Yuto. "I've never known the feeling of darkness to feel that way."

"Depends on who are." Yuri smiled mischievously. "I used to feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I got unleash my inner darkness. In fact, I still do sometimes."

"But why am I seeing these things?" Yuya asked.

"And why aren't we seeing them?" Yugo asked. "I mean, we aren't seeing them, right?"

"I haven't seen anything like that." said Yuto.

"Me neither." said Yuri.

"Agh, this is driving my crazy." Yuya said, clutching his head.

"Not much we can do about it now." said Yuto. "Just try to get some rest. Remember we need to go to the Friendship Cup tomorrow."

"Right." said Yuya.

"Yeah!" Yugo said excitedly. "Gonna be nice to be home tomorrow!"

With that, Yuya went back to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Yuya went to the Leo Institute, ready to transport himself to the Synchro Dimension. He arrived in the school, which was hustling and bustling with students, all of whom said hi to Yuya. He eventually made it to the dimensional gate, where Claude was waiting for him.

"Good morning sir." said Claude.

"Hey Claude." said Yuya. "Where's Declan?"

"The President is unfortunately busy today." said Claude. "He sends his regards."

"Well, tell him I said hi." said Yuya.

"Of course." Claude nodded. "The portal is ready for you."

"Thanks." Yuya said.

He then walked through the portal. Within the wormhole was a path for him, which he skated across. At the end of the dimensional tunnel was a white light. Once he reached the light, he found himself in another building, this one being in the Synchro Dimension.

"About time." said a voice. "Nice to see you made it."

Before Yuya was Jack Atlas, the top duelist of the Synchro Dimension. Jack has purple eyes, fair skin and spiked blonde hair, with two longer strands in front of his ears that hang further down the rest of his hair. His other accessories include a neckband, a belt buckle, and earrings in the shape of the letter A (the first letter of his last name). Jack wears a long white trench coat (lined with purple), with his shoulders spiked over a white plunging shirt, along with a gray undershirt.

"Hey Jack." said Yuya.

"Well, c'mon." said Jack. "The finals are about begin."

Yuya followed Jack into a limousine as they were taken to the Friendship Cup Stadium. They entered in a back entrance and walked up several flights of stairs until they entered the Champion's Box. In the middle of the room were two thrones. Despite the fact that Yuya was currently the Champion of New Domino City, his throne was still smaller than Jack's.

Yuya looked out at the familiar sight of the stadium. It was full of people of all sorts. Originally, the stadium was divided, with the Top Siders (the upper class) having the best seats, while the Commons (the middle and lower class) had the rest. Yuya now noticed that the stands were equal, with Top Siders and Commons all over the place. The dueling track was ready as well, having been freshly scrubbed.

What Yuya was about to witness was a turbo duel. This was a duel that took place on motorbikes called duel runners. The duelists would ride around the track and do battle on the runners. While Yuya and most other duelists used the autopilot function on the duel runners, Yuya had heard that some people were skilled enough to duel while they were driving.

The two sat down as the crowd outside roared. Melissa Trail, the cowgirl clad MC, then appeared on the big screen.

"Howdy y'all." She said. "It's time for the main event, the finals of The Friendship Cup. But first, a few things to to announce. Joining the Master of Faster today is our previous Friendship Cup Champion. It's the one and only dueltaining sensation, Yuya Sakaki!"

The crowd roared and began chanting Yuya's name. Yuya was then shown on the screen. He smiled and waved at everyone, then got off his throne and gave them all a bow.

"What a treat." Melissa smiled. "Now, as you know, the winner of The Friendship Cup gets a chance to duel New Domino Cities very own Jack Atlas. However, this time, we got us a special treat, cause the winner can choose to duel either Jack or Yuya."

The crowd cheered in excitement, now chanting Jack's name along with Yuya.

"Now, let's get things underway." Melissa said. "Time to introduce the finalists. First off, he's all the buzz amongst the commons and he's been stinging his way up the ranks of this tournament. Ladies and gentlemen, Shinji Weber!"

As the crowd cheered, a turbo duelist shot out of one of the entrances onto the track. Though his helmet was on, Yuya knew who this was. Shinji is a tall fair-skinned young man, with double coloured purple hair that has strands of blue in the base of his hair and green eyes. His helmet also covers the fact that he has piercings. He wears a colored biker suit with strands of blue on his tights and chest with a yellow pattern across his mid chest. The suit seems to be held together by a belt. His half-open suit reveals a gray shirt worn underneath. He also wears brown boots and gloves.

"Nice." said Yuya. "He made it to the finals."

"Did a bang up job too." said Jack, politely clapping.

"As for our next duelist." said Melissa. "Like all of us, he's fired up for this duel. Blazing his way through the tournament, he's ready to leave his opponent in the dust. Let's give it up for, Hunter Pace!"

A new duelist made his entrance, riding towards Shinji. Yuya saw a smirk on this guys face once he was close-up on the screen.

"Did Crow not make it? Yuya asked Jack, regarding another friend of theirs from the Synchro Dimension.

"Crow didn't even participate." said Jack. "He's currently been training with Sector Security."

"Sector Security?" Yuya asked.

"Yeah." said Jack. "He and a bunch of other commons joined. Everyone thinks it's going to be a good way to integrate the people more."

"I think it's perfect." said Yuya. "Especially if it means that things will be more equal."

"I agree." said Jack.

"Alright everyone!" Melissa sounded. "Let's get ready. On your mark. Get set. DUEL!"

The two duelists flew past the starting line. Shinji managed to get the first corner, which meant he could go first.

Yuya watched the duel happily, seeing that Shinji has improved his dueling. However, his thoughts also began to drift towards his visions from Astrograph Sorcerer. The giant monster, the boy clad in light, The Supreme King, The Light of Destruction. What did it all mean? Plus, there was a chance that he was going to duel today. Would he get another vision if that happened?

Yuya shivered at the thought of another vision. Unfortunately, that got the attention of Jack.

"The duels not that bad." said Jack, arms crossed. "Sure, not a five star performance, but-"

"No, sorry Jack." said Yuya. "I was...I was just spacing out...I've had a lot on my mind lately…"

"Like what?" Jack asked.

"Well." said Yuya. He sighed and then told Jack everything.

"Hmph." said Jack. "Sounds like you've got quite the problem."

"I don't know why it's happening." said Yuya. "Nor what any of it means. I'm kinda hoping I don't get picked to duel. I could do without another vision."

"Oh, don't be a coward!" Jack said loudly.

"I'm not being a coward." said Yuya defensively. "I just-"

"Oh please." said Jack. "You've dealt with far worse than some stupid dreams."

"I know." said Yuya. "But these dreams have to do with one of things I've had to deal with."

"So what?" Jack asked. "That shouldn't stop you from dueling. It certainly wouldn't stop me!"

"And if I do have another vision while I duel?" Yuya asked.

"Then you either fight it or deal with it." said Jack. "Why should you let it control you when you want to duel?"

"I…" said Yuya. He then shook his head. "You're right. Thanks Jack."

"Hmph." Jack nodded.

"The end has come!" said Melissa as Jack and Yuya turned their attention back to the duel. "With that last attack, Shinji takes the victory!"

The crowd cheered as Shinji parked his duel runner and took off his helmet. He waved to crowd, smiling as he did. The camera then came closer to him.

"Alright Shinji." said Melissa. "It's time to choose your opponent. Do you want to face Jack or Yuya."

"I think the answer would be obvious." said Shinji. "Yuya, it's time for our rematch."

Yuya stood up from his throne and approached the window. The camera then zoomed onto him as he looked down at Shinji.

"Shinji, I'm more than happy to accept." Yuya smiled, flashing a thumbs up. "Let's do this."

"Then don't keep me waiting." said Shinji.

Yuya left the room and went towards the area where the duel runners were stored. He got into his riding suit and then onto his duel runner. He then waited for Melissa to make his entrance.

"Alright y'all." said Melissa. "It's time for the main event. Will Shinji Weber be this years newest Friendship Cup Champion? Or will our current champion duel some entertaining circles around him? It's time to find out. But first, it's time to bring out the champ. Dueltaining's not only in his skill, but in his blood. He's won his way into our hearts countless times, so let's see if he can win this match. Ladies and gentlemen, Yuya Sakkaki!"

As the crowd cheered his name, Yuya shot out of the entrance and drove his way towards the starting line.

"Good luck Shinji." said Yuya, offering his hand.

"Same to you." said Shinji, accepting the handshake.

"Go Yuya!" shouted some familiar voices from the crowd. "Go Shinji!"

Yuya turned and smiled. In the crowd were three kids that Shinji and Yuya's friend Crow looked after. They were Amanda, Frank, and Tarren. Tarren had puffy, rosy cheeks and bright blue hair under his cap. Frank had spiky green hair and wore a newsies hat. Amanda had puffy, burgundy hair tied into two ponytails.

Right next to them was Crow Hogan. Crow has dark-grey eyes and spiky orange hair restrained by a leather band with twin rings piercing it, as well as several criminal marks on his face, an "M" and a dot on his forehead, and a full-cheek line and triangle on each side of his face. His ears have piercings with bolts hanging from them. Crow wears a simple orange shirt and teal pants with knee pads. He wears a brown sleeveless vest over it and elbow length fingerless gloves, with studded bands strapped around his wrists and forearms, and heavily strapped tan boots.

Crow smiled and gave Yuya a thumbs up. Yuya gave him a thumbs up back and then turned his attention towards the track.

"Alrighty." said Melissa. "Let's get things underway."

Yuya and Shinji's duel runner screens then shined and showed the action field card.

"Generating Action Field." a female computer voice said. "Crossover Acceleration."

The action field then dispersed action cards all over the track. The doors to the arena then opened, allowing Yuya and Shinji to duel in the city.

"Remember folks, the first to make it out of the arena gets the first move." said Melissa. "On your marks. Get set. DUEL!"

Yuya dn Shinji then shot out like bullets towards the entrance. After a narrow race, Yuya made it out first, allowing him the first move.

"Let's do this." said Yuya. "I'll start by setting my pendulum scale with my scale three Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix and my scale eight Odd-Eyes Light Unicorn. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!"

Yuya set his cards as his duel disk spelled out the word PENDULUM. Yuya's two pendulum monsters then appeared before him.

"With it, I can special summon monsters between levels 4-7." said Yuya. "Swing far pendulum!" Carve the arc of victory!"

A pendulum then appeared above Yuya and began to swing as a hole appeared under it.

"My monsters are ready." said Yuya. "To swing into action!"

Two bursts of light then appeared, bringing out Yuya's monsters.

"Let's bubble up some trouble Performapal Bubblebowow." said Yuya. "Guide me to victory Performapal Camelump."

Yuya's monster descended, his Bubblebowow in attack mode and his Camelump in defense mode.

"That's it for me." said Yuya. "You're up Shinji."

"That's all you got?" Shinji asked. "Alright then, I draw! I then play the continuous spell, Hornet's Nest. As long as this card remains on the field, I can special summon one insect type monster from hand so long as I discard a monster from my hand once per turn. I discard one card to special summon Battlewasp-Arbalest the Rapidfire."

Shinji's monster appeared before Yuya, who had bad feeling that he knew what was coming next.

"I then summon the tuner monster Battlewasp-Sting the Poison." said Shinji, who played the monster to the field. "I then tune level two Sting the Poison with level four Arbalest the Rapidfire."

The tuner monster then burst into a green light and turned into two, gear like rings. The rings then formed a line as the other monster went between them. The monster became transparent and then turned into four shining orbs. Lightning then burst in between the rings as Shinji's new monster formed.

"I synchro summon, Battlewasp-Halberd the Charge!" said Shinji.

Shinji's new monster emerged and reared it's halberd against Yuya.

"Halberd, attack Bubblebowow." said Shinji.

Halberd the Charge had 2500 attack points, which was enough to destroy Yuya's monster, which had 2300 attack points. Yuya had to act fast. He frantically looked for an action card. He saw one up ahead and sped towards it. However, Shinji sped past him and managed to grab the card first.

"Tough luck Yuya." said Shinji. He then looked at the card. "Not that this would have helped."

Halberd then destroyed Bubblebowow, hitting Yuya for 200 points of damage.

"There's more." said Shinji. "I play the quick-play spell, Extra Sting. When my Battlewasp monster destroys one of your monsters in battle, it can attack again."

Shinji's monster then turned it's attention towards Camelump. However, Yuya was prepared for this.

"I activate the effect of Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver in my hand." said Yuya. "I can special summon him to the field and this protects Camelump from being destroyed."

Yuya's monster appeared. With a wave of it's wand, Dissolver created a barrier around Camelump, protecting it from being destroyed.

"Why would he do that?" Tarren asked Crow. "He could have done that to save his Bubblebowow."

"He could have." said Crow. "But he must have guessed Shinji had something else up his sleeve. Plus, if Bubblebowow was saved, it still would have been in attack mode, which meant Yuya would have taken more damage."

"Oh, I see." said Tarren.

"Not bad Yuya." said Shinji. "But you'll have to do better than that. I play one facedown and then end my turn."

"Then it's my turn. I draw." said Yuya. "I then pendulum summon Bubblebowow back. And when he's special summoned, he can protect all of my pendulum monsters from getting destroyed by card effects this turn."

The portal above Yuya opened and his monster was shot out. With a bark, Bubblebowow made it's entrance.

"There's more." said Yuya. "Thanks to Dissolver, I can perform a fusion summon this turn. And I'm going to fuse Performapal Camelump with Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver."

The monsters then began to merge together in a swirling vortex.

"Behold as these two monster trigger there most destructive traits." said Yuya. "And then become one. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you, Performapal Gatlinghoul!"

Yuya's new monster appeared and took aim at Shinji and his Battlewasp.

"Sorry Shinji, but this is gonna hurt." said Yuya. "Cause when Gatlinghoul is summoned, he can inflict damage equal to the amount of cards on the field times 200. Since there are seven cards, you get hit with 1400 points of damage."

Gatlinghoul fired its gun and lowered Shinji's life points. He was now at 2600.

"There's more." said Yuya. "Since Gatlinghoul was fusion summoned using a pendulum monster, he can destroy one of your monsters and inflict damage to equal to that monsters attack points. So down goes your Halberd."

Gatlinghoul took aim at Halberd and fired.

"Not so fast." said Shinji. "I play the action spell, Acceleration. This allows me to bypass your move and not take any damage."

"But your Halberd won't be so lucky." said Yuya.

With that, Gatlinghoul destroyed Halberd while Shinji sped away, avoiding the damage.

"Not bad Yuya." said Shinji. "But it's gonna take more than that to beat me."

"Trust me, I've got more." said Yuya. "Gatlinghoul, attack Shinji directly."

"Not if I have anything to say about that." said Shinji. "I play Scapegoat! This allows me to summon four Scapegoat Tokens to the field to protect my life points!"

Four little round shaped goats then appeared, one light blue, one orange, one yellow, and one pink, all of which had zero attack and defense points.

"Well, ain't they cute." said Melissa. "And a great defense for Shinji's life points. Now Yuya has to get through them to get to Shinji."

"And I will." said Yuya. "Gatlinghoul and Bubblebowow, take out two of those tokens."

Yuya's monsters launched their attacks, taking out the pink and yellow scapegoats with ease.

"That's all for me." said Yuya. "Your move Shinji."

"Then I draw." said Shinji. "And I play the spell, Hive Helper. This allows me to draw cards equal to the amount of Battlewasps I have on my field or in my graveyard. Since I have four in my graveyard, I draw four cards."

Shinji drew his cards and looked them over carefully.

"I then play Hive Mind." said Shinji. "This spell destroys every monster on your side of the field as long as I have more Battlewasp monsters on the field or in my graveyard than your monsters. However, you can also draw cards equal to the amount of monsters I destroy."

A wave of hornets shout out of his spell and surrounded Gatlinghoul and Bubblebowow. Witihin an instance, the monsters were consumed and destroyed. Yuya then drew two cards. They were Odd-Eyes and Performapal Hip Hippo.

"I then summon Battlewasp-Pin the Bullseye." said Shinji. "And as you're probably aware, Pin the Bullseye can inflict 200 points of damage to you each turn."

The little monster hit Yuya with it's effect, lowing his life points to 3600.

"Pin the Bullseye, attack Yuya directly." said Shinji.

With no defense, the attack hit and Yuya now had 3400 life points.

"I place a face-downs and then end my turn." said Shinji.

"Folks, this is getting good." said Melissa. "Though Yuya is leading in life points, Shinji's still hitting hard, wiping out Yuya's field and lowering his life points more. So how will Yuya counteract this?"

"Time to find out." said Yuya. "I draw!"

 _I have a feeling I know what Shinji's face-down is._ Yuya thought. _And I don't have anything to counter it right now. Better remain on the defensive then._

"I summon Performapal Hip Hippo." said Yuya.

Yuya's monster danced in and did a little wink to the audience.

"Alight Hippo, take out Pin the Bullseye!" said Yuya.

"Bad idea." said Shinji. "I play Battlewasp-Nest! This trap ends the battle phase and allows me to summon another Pin the Bullseye."

The trap then deflects Hippo's attack, sending him flying.

"I lay one face-down and end my turn." said Yuya.

"Then it's my turn. I draw." said Shinji. "Ok Yuya. I play Summoning Swarm. And I'll use it to revive Battlewasp-Sting the Poison."

Shinji's tuner monster then returned, buzzing angrily in Yuya's direction.

"I then tune level four Sting the Poison with two of my Scapegoat tokens and a Pin." said Shinji.

Once more, Sting the Poison transformed into the two green rings. The scapegoat tokens and one of the Pin the Bullseyes then turned into three bright stars as lighting burst in between the rings.

"I synchro summon, Battlewasp-Azusa the Ghost Bow!" Shinji said.

Another familiar monster appeared before Yuya, as Shinji used this card in their last duel. He also knew what would happen next.

"I'm not done yet." said Shinji. "I then play Revival Swarm. This allows me to bring back Battlewasp monsters in my graveyard."

Yuya then saw Shinji bring back his Halberd the Charge, Arbolest the Rapidfire, and Pin the Bullseye.

"I use Pin the Bullseyes effect." said Yuya. "And since there are now two on the field, you get hit for twice the damage. Not only that, but Azusa doubles the damage due to her effect!"

With Azusa's magic, Yuya was hit for 800 points of damage, lowering it to 2600, which meant Yuya's life points were now equal to Shinji's.

"Let's do this!" said Shinji. "I tune Azusa with my Pin the Bullseyes and Arbolest the Rapidfire!"

Shinji's synchro tuner monster then burst into five green rings as his other monsters went inside. They turned into six glowing stars as lightning burst through the rings.

"Meet my newest monster." said Shinji. "Level 11, Battlewasp-Rapier the Monarch."

Shinji's new monster appeared. It looked similar to Azusa, except it held a mighty rapier instead of a bow. It also had a more elegant robe on, adorned with a crown that also acted as a helmet. It's had a wing shaped cape flowing behind it. It slashed it's sword in the air before directly pointing it at Yuya. Yuya checked his screen to see this monster had 3100 attack points.

"Well, well folks." said Melissa. "Not only are Yuya and Shinji's life points tied up, but now Shinji has two monsters that could wipe out Yuya in one shot. Is this the end for our champion or will Yuya be able to escape?"

"I've been waiting for this Yuya." said Shinji. "Ever since you beat me in the last Friendship Cup, I've been wanting another opportunity to face you. But this time will be different."

"It's all ready different." Yuya smiled. "Last time you dueled with your anger and your hatred towards the Topsiders. You wanted nothing more than to destroy me."

"I did." said Shinji. "But not this time. This time I'm enjoying myself. Thanks to you, I can. That's why not only do I want to duel you, I want to win. I want to show you how much stronger I am as a thanks to everything you've done."

"Then let's see it then Shinji." said Yuya.

"Right." said Shinji. "I use Rapier's effect. Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can banish a Battlewasp monster from my field or graveyard and not only does Rapier gain it's attack points, but also it's special abilities. With that, I banish Pin the Bullseye. Then, I use Rapier to hit you for 200 points of damage!"

Once more, Yuya was hit with effect damage, lowering his life points to 2400.

"Now attack Rapier the Monarch." said Shinji. "Royal Sting Attack!"

"Hold on Shinji." said Yuya. "I play Hippo Carnival! This allows me to special three Hippo Tokens to protect me and my Hip Hippo."

With that, three more Hippos appeared, these ones dressed like Vegas showgirls. However, one was quickly dispatched by Shinji's Rapier.

"Halberd, attack the second hippo." said Shinji.

Shinji's second monster destroyed another hippo, leaving only one more hippo token and Yuya's Hip Hippo, both of whom started to dance with one another.

"You're not the only one who can summon tokens." Yuya smiled. "And it's good thing that I did."

"Heh. You live to duel another day." said Shinji. "I end my turn."

"Time to do this." said Yuya.

"Wait, Yuya." said Yugo. "Mind if I take the driver's seat? I really want to get in on this action!"

"I don't see why not." said Yuya. "Go ahead Yugo."

Yuya then closed his eyes as Yugo went inside him. When Yuya opened his eyes, they turned from red to green, the same color as Yugo's.

"My move." said Yuya and Yugo, their minds and voices now merged. "I draw! I then play the card Showstopping Draw. By releasing my Hip Hippo and Hippo Token, I can draw three cards. However, if I do this, this means that I can't normal summon this turn."

He then went to draw three more cards, when something happened. The world around Yuya changed and he found himself no longer on his runner, nor was he in his riding suit. He frantically looked around as the world began to reform.

He found himself in the sky, high above what appeared to be a desert. Across the desert, Yuya saw strange shapes in the ground. One was of what appeared to be some sort of humanoid, one was a spider, one looked like a hummingbird, one looked like an eagle or a vulture, one looked like a lizard, there was also a monkey, and other shapes Yuya didn't recognize.

"Hey, what gives?" said a familiar voice to Yuya's left. "What happened to the duel?"

"Yugo?" Yuya said, turning to his synchro counterpart, who also was completely solid. "Why are you here?"

"How should I know?" said Yugo. "Last thing I remember was the two of us dueling Shinji. Then everything went weird and now we're here, wherever here is supposed to be."

Yuya looked around. Something was familiar about this place. He racked his brain, trying to remember what it was.

"These are some weird shapes." said Yugo. "Hey, that one reminds of me Yuri. It's a snake, just like him."

"I think I know where we are." said Yuya. "I think these are the Nazca Lines."

"The Nazca Lines?" Yugo asked.

"Yeah." said Yuya. "I remember learning about them in school. There supposed to be some sort of strange formations in the earth that nobody can explain. They don't how they were formed or why."

"And uh, are they supposed to be glowing?" Yugo asked, staring at the lines.

"Glowing?" Yuya asked, confused.

He himself looked down and saw that Yugo was right. A few of the shapes began to glow a bright purple. Purple flames then shot out of the lines as the earth beneath them began to rumble. Yuya and Yugo saw as the lines began to rise and take shape.

They watched as the lines formed into massive monsters. All of the monsters took the form of their lines, each of them pitch black. The first was the larger bird, which took the form of a condor with bright purple lines all over it. The second was the hummingbird, with it's lines being gold. The lines also formed it's eyes, with them being three dots each. The third was the monkey, which had bright yellow lines and was very thin. The fourth was a giant, with one massive eye in the center of it's massive body that was covered in blue lines. The fifth was a killer whale, which was covered in purple lines, as well as a large purple stomach. The sixth was a lizard, which was then like the monkey, except for it's head, which was large, round, and had large round green eyes that matched the color of it's lines. The last was a spider, which had red lines.

"What are those things?" Yuya yelled.

"The Nazca Lines on dark magic juice!" Yugo yelled.

The creatures then turned to where Yuya and Yugo were, each roaring. The birds then flew towards them as he giant reached out. Before they could attack them, a bright red light shone behind Yuya and Yugo.

They turned to see several shapes in the sky above them. The largest shape was that of a dragon. It had a glowing red body, five fingers similar to humans, bird-like legs, a long tail and neck and gold-colored eyes. On the end of its tail is a shovel-like dagger.

Around the dragon was the outline of six other dragons. However, Yuya couldn't make out what they looked like, as they were surrounded in shadow. Still, something felt familiar about the dragon to the large red dragon's immediate right.

Below the dragons were six people. Like the smaller dragons, they were covered in shadow. However, Yuya could make out the shape of marks on their arms. Each mark was glowing red and seemed to be a different piece of the large red dragon.

The red dragon cried out as the other dragons charged the large, Nazca monsters. There was a massive explosion as everything went white.

"Yuya!" Yuya heard Shinji call out.

Yuya and Yugo then snapped back to attention, back to where they were.

"You gonna make a move or not?" Shinji asked.

"Right." said Yuya and Yugo. "I draw my three cards."

The two of them checked their hand and saw a card the could help them.

"Ladies and gentlemen." said Yuya and Yugo. "Things certainly seem grim for me. Shinji has two strong monsters on the field while I'm currently defenseless. However, that's going to quickly change. It's time to pendulum summon."

The wormhole above Yuya then formed as Yuya summoned four monsters.

"Come on back Bubblebowow and Camelump!" said Yuya and Yugo. "Turn up the heat Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! And introducing the tuner monster, Performapal Speedroid Portaplay!"

Yuya's new monsters appeared, with Odd-Eyes roaring in triumph. However, everyone was more surprised by Yuya's new monsters, which looked like a game boy with hands, feet, a top hat, and a mustache.

"A Performapal and a Speedroid?" Crow asked surprised.

"Weren't Speedroid's used by Yugo?" Amand asked.

"They were." said Crow. "So how did Yuya combine them both? Unless…"

Crow then looked at the screen and took a closer look at Yuya's eyes. He then noticed that they were now green and smiled.

"Guess the guy couldn't leave it to just Yuya." Crow chuckled. "Show Shinji what you're made of you two."

"I activate the effect of Portaplay!" said Yuya and Yugo. "If I have monsters in my pendulum zone, I can lower it's level by that monster's level. Since my Odd-Eyes Unicorn is level one, I lower Portaplay's level from four to three."

Portaplay then put in a code into his system, lowering his level,

"I now tune level three Portaplay with level four Camelump." said Yuya and Yugo.

The monsters mimicked Shinji's move from the beginning of the duel, Portaplay becoming three green rings, while Camelump transforms into three bright stars.

"Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction!" said Yuya and Yugo. "I synchro summon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The dimension dragon of the Synchro Dimension appeared alongside Odd eyes as both roared in triumph.

"So your dragon and Yugo's dragon are here." said Shinji. "I was hoping to see Odd-Eyes at least, but this is a bit more than I bargained for. But I'm not scared. From my hand, I activate the spell, Queen's Guard. This allows me to special summon a level four or lower Battlewasp monster from my graveyard, so long as it's effects are negated and it's destroyed during the end phase. I choose Arbalest the Rapid Fire."

With that, Shinji's Arbalest returned.

"Clear Wing, attack Rapier the Monarch!" said Yuya and Yugo. "Spinstorm Skystrike!"

Clear Wing charged at Monarch. Not knowing why, Shinji counteracted.

"I use Monarch's effect to copy Sting the Poison." said Shinji. "Which allows me to tribute a Battlwasp monster on my field to negate your monster's effect. I tribute Arbales!"

Not quite." said Yuya and Yugo. "I use Clear Wing's effect to negate Monarch's ability and then gain Monarch's attack. Go, Reverse Revenge."

Clear Wing's wings then glowed bright green as light shot out of them. The light enveloped Rapier the Monarch, destroying it. Clear Wing then gained it's attack points, raising it from 2500 to 5800. Seeing this, Shinji raced for an action card. He grabbed it and played it.

"I play the action spell, Attack Block." said Shinji. "This means that I can prevent your Clear Wing from attacking again this turn."

"I activate Portaplay's other effect." said Yuya and Yugo. "By sending it from my extra deck to the graveyard when a monster gains attack points, I can have a monster of the same level gain the same amount. This means my Odd-Eyes also gains 3100 attack points."

"Oh no!" Shinji cried out as the crowd cheered while Odd-Eyes roared from his gain in power.

"Odd-Eyes, attack!" shouted Yuya and Yugo. "Spiral Flame Strike!"

Odd-Eyes leapt into the air and then shot out a pillar of flames from it's mouth. It hit Halberd, who tried to block it.

"Now say it with me everyone." said Yuya and Yugo. "Cause I activate Odd-Eyes's effect."

"When he attacks a level five or higher monster." the crowd cheered together. "The battle damage is doubled. GO REACTION FORCE!"

Odd-Eyes's attack then got stronger, blasting through Halberd and destroying it, as well as the rest of Shinji's life points. Shinji's and Yuya then returned to the stadium as everyone cheered on.

"What a back and forth duel folks." said Melissa through the monitor. "But in the end, Yuya managed to take the victory and remain as our champion. Let's give it up for our duelists!"

Everyone cheered as Yuya and Shinji got off their runners and shook hands.

"That was great Yuya." said Shinji. "Thanks for another great duel."

"You too Shinji." saud Yuya, his eyes returning to normal now that he and Yugo were no longer bonded. "I had a great time."

Jack then came onto the field holding a trophy. He gave it to Yuya, who in turn had Shinji hold into it. The two then raised the trophy together as the crowd cheered.


	4. Chapter 4

Episode 4: Time to Train

Within a vast desert, Yuya was walking around, not knowing where he was. It was blazing hot and he was very thirsty.

"Man I could use a drink." Yuya panted. "Where's the nearest oasis?"

He continued to walk, not knowing where he was going. It was like his feet where driving him somewhere.

"Ugh." Yuya sighed. "There's got to be an easier way."

A few cards then glowed in Yuya's deck. The cards were Performapal Splashmammoth and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Yuya placed them on his duel disk as the monsters materialized. Splashmammoth then sprayed Yuya with water, who happily bathed himself and drank the water.

"Thanks Splashmammoth." Yuya smiled. "I needed that."

The monster let out a shout of approval as it disappeared. Clear Wing then leaned down and offered Yuya a ride. Yuya got on the dragon as it soared in the direction Yuya was going, him with it.

"Thanks for the ride." said Yuya, patting the dragon. "So, do you know where you're going?"

The dragon growled in response, which Yuya assumed to be yes. He watched as Clear Wing continued to fly. As he did, something began to form in the distance. It was an ancient looking city. Wooden buildings formed all over, stretching across miles of land. Behind the buildings was a massive wall that surrounded a magnificent palace. From the architecture, Yuya suspected that he must have been in Egypt.

"Woah." said Yuya. "It's amazing. But what are we doing here?"

Clear Wing then roared menacingly as it turned the other direction. Yuya then saw the sky begin to turn dark. He looked up and saw something like the moon blotting out the sun. Screams were heard below him as he saw people running towards the palace, which opened its gates to let them in.

Clear Wing roared louder as Yuya saw what it was looking at. It was a giant monster. It was a purple-skinned demon with huge, curved horns, bat-like wings, and a large dragon/snake appendage between his legs. The earth shook with it's every step as it approached the city.

"All of humanity will bow to me!" the creature sounded out. "Bow to the your master, Zorc Necrophades!"

"Zorc?" Yuya asked, surprised at the name. It sounded eerily similar to Zarc.

The monster roared, launching a fireball at the city. It erupted into flames, knocking several people back.

"We have to help them!" Yuya shouted.

He then directed Clear Wing towards the flames. With a swift spin, Clear Wing created a gust of wind that put out the fire. People cheered as Yuya turned towards the monster named Zorc.

"Begone child from another world!" Zorc shouted. "This is not your concern!"

"It is now!" said Yuya, calling on his other dragons.

With a flash, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, and Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon appeared and confronted the monster before them.

"Everyone, attack!" Yuya commanded, getting off of Clear Wing. "Spinstorm Sky Strike! Mauling Mandible Charge! Venom Strike Attack! Spiral Flame Strike!"

Yuya's dragons attacked the monster with all their might. However, once the dust cleared, the monster named Zorc barely had a scratch on it.

"You mock me with your power." Zorc roared.

He then sent a shockwave from his body, causing Yuya's dragons to disappear. Yuya was also blasted back. It felt like a brick wall just hit him. He landed hard on the ground as felt the monster continue to approach the palace.

"You call that strength?" Zorc roared. "How pathetic!"

Yuya tried to get up, but he didn't have the strength. He knew he could match that monster, but he also didn't want to try. If he did, it could mean bringing back Zarc. And that was something he didn't want to chance.

"Now, BEGONE!" Zorc roared, sending another fireball at Yuya.

Yuya ducked in cover, expecting to be roasted alive. Above him however, he heard a massive explosion. He looked up to see that the fireball was destroyed. Another massive figure then appeared above him.

It was a large, serpentine red-skinned, black-bellied dragon with spikes running down its body. Its wings were bat-like in form, with two thumb claws. The dragon's head had two mouths; the bottom jaw of the smaller top set is part of the top jaw of the larger set. The last tooth at each cheek was larger than the others. The head was crested with four spikes protruding horizontally, and two larger ones from the back of the head curving vertically. It had a sapphire in it's forehead. Its tail crest is shaped in a similar manner, but with a single flattened spike at the tip rather than two spikes. The dragon had short limbs with three-toed feet.

The dragon roared fiercely as two more massive monsters appeared. The second was a massive muscular blue-skinned humanoid. It had simple, triangular wings that were about the same height as it. The monster's large shoulder pauldrons had two large spikes protruding vertically, its forearm armor had spikes protruding at the elbows, and its groin and knees were armored with diamond-shaped plates, while a shield-shaped plate covered the posterior. The creature's feet were anisodactyl, with three toes in front and a single one behind; its hands were more human, with spiked, sheath-like claws covering its fingertips and small diamond-shaped plates covering the knuckles. It's head was covered in spikes; twin spikes jutted from its cheeks, long spikes sideways from the back of the head, two from the temples, a short spike on the chin, and a tri-spiked crest on the top of its head. The monster's mouth was lipless, with pointed white teeth. It's red eyes stared down the monster Zorc. Like the dragon, it had a sapphire on its head.

The last was a giant golden dragon that appeared to be composed of or covered in golden metal. It had a saurian posture and bird-like features; its head and neck were sculpted to resemble that of a bird of prey, with feather-like ornaments on each side of its head and at the elbows, and a jagged cone surrounding its neck. Its wings had the appearance of being feathered. The bird like dragon had a large arch connecting its shoulder pauldrons and feather-like ornaments on its head. Like the first two, it had a sapphire in it's head.

The monsters roared at Zorc, who roared back angrily. The large red dragon then turned it's head to Yuya, slowly slinking towards his direction. When it was inches from him, it sniffed Yuya and gave him a low growl.

"I'm ok." Yuya said weakly. "Thank you."

The dragon sniffed in response and turned back to Zorc. The doors of the palace then opened behind them. Yuya looked to see a group of people walking out. Yuya couldn't make them out, but they each had some sort of golden, glowing items. The one in front stepped forward. He was wearing an upside down pyramid shaped object, with a golden eye in the center. It glowed brightly as the stranger addressed Yuya.

"You have shown great courage." the person said in a booming, powerful voice. "You risked your life to protect my people and for that, I am grateful. Now, you may rest. I sense we may need each other's strength again."

Yuya complied, his eyes beginning to droop from exhaustion. Yuya closed his eyes as a new voice sounded out.

"Yuya." the voice said. "Yuya. Please, you must wake."

Yuya opened his eyes and found himself floating in a white void. He looked up to see Astrograph Sorcerer in front of him.

"Astrograph Sorcerer." said Yuya.

"You must help me Yuya." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "You must fulfill the promise Zarc made to me."

"Promise?" Yuya asked. "What promise?"

"Remember the visions I showed you." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "You must gather the strength of those heroes to aid you. If not, all will be lost."

A roar was heard below them. Yuya looked down and gasped. Inside a massive sphere was another monster. It was shaped like a lizard, with skin like white fire. It's yellow eyes stared at them, pure anger resonating within them. The creature roared again as everything went white. Yuya screamed in terror as he opened his eyes.

He was back in his room as Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri materialized.

"Another dream?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah." said Yuya.

"This getting old real fast." said Yuri. "Especially for those who haven't seen these dreams."

"Trust me, it's better you don't." Yugo shivered.

"What happened this time?" Yuri asked.

"I was in Egypt." said Yuya. "Ancient Egypt I think. A giant monster appeared, it was calling itself Zorc."

"Zorc?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah, Zorc." said Yuya. "It was attacking this town. I tried to stop it, but he was too powerful. Then these other monsters appeared. They saved me before Zorc could hurt me. I blacked out and then...then Astrograph Sorcerer appeared."

"Not surprising." said Yuri.

"But this time was different." said Yuya. "This time he spoke to me."

"He spoke?" Yugo asked. "What did he say?"

"He said something about Zarc." said Yuya. "About a promise Zarc made to him. He told me to remember all of the visions he showed me. Then there was some sort of other monster. It was trapped in a large sphere. Everything went white, then I woke up."

"Hm." said Yuto. "Why would Astrograph Sorcerer show you all that?"

"I wonder what sort of promise Zarc made." said Yugo.

"Sounds like we may have our work cut out for us." said Yuri.

"Yeah." said Yuya, leaning back in his bed. "No kidding."

* * *

"Yuya." Yuya heard his mother Yoko call out. "Pancakes are ready."

Yuya yawned, walking down the stairs. He sat down at the table as his father finished his breakfast.

"Good morning kiddo." Yusho smiled.

"Morning dad." Yuya smiled.

"Why, what's the matter my son?" Yusho asked. "You don't look like you slept well."

"Yeah, I didn't really." said Yuya. "Just one of those nights I guess."

"I think your getting overworked." said Yoko, giving Yuya his breakfast. "You've been dueling and working for ages now. It takes a lot out of you."

"Indeed it does." said Yusho. "I would know."

"Well, at least I have today and tomorrow off." said Yuya. "I'll try to get some sleep."

"Sounds good." Yoko smiled.

Yusho then looked outside and saw the mail truck pass by.

"I'll get it dear." said Yusho.

He walked out and returned a minute later with the mail. As he was going through it, he saw a letter addressed to Yuya.

"Why Yuya, this is for you." said Yusho.

"For me?" Yuya asked.

He took the letter from Yusho. It had the Leo Institute insignia on it. He opened it and read it out loud.

 _Dear Yuya,_

 _I'm very impressed and proud of how much you have grown as a duelist. However, even among the best, there is always room to improve. That is why I cordially invite you to stay on the island of Dominous to learn from the duelist who taught me. Though I and many others refer to me as a prodigy (a very deserving title), my skills were novice compared to this man when my mother and father brought me to him so many years ago. He has taught even the most incompetent of duelists and made them a star. I believe you have much to learn from him and I think it would be beneficial for you to learn. Please let me know as soon as you can so that I can make arrangements for you to set out if you accept._

 _Sincerely yours,_

 _Declan Akaba_

 _President of the Leo Corporation_

 _Headmaster of the Leo Institute of Dueling_

 _P.S. I sent this by mail because I didn't want anyone to intercept it. I ask that you respond either in person or in the same manner._

"Dominous Island?" Yoko asked. "I've never heard of that place, have you Yusho?"

"As a matter of fact, I have." Yusho smiled. "It's an extraordinary place for duelists. I would take the opportunity Yuya."

"Are you sure?" said Yuya.

"Positive." said Yusho. "Plus, it sounds like Declan will make sure you can get a break from stardom."

"I guess." said Yuya. "Alright then. I'll go talk to Declan."

* * *

"I overlay level five Hermit of Prophecy with level five Strength of Prophecy." said a boy. "With these two monsters, I build the overlay network!"

The boy, named Kevin (Kev) Ravenwood, was dueling Declan Akaba, who had taken him under his wing. They were doing a training match. So far, it was fairly even. Declan was at 1500 life points and had D/D/D Chaos King Apocalypse and D/D Savant Newton in his pendulum zone, a D/D/D Doom King Armageddon on his field, two Dark Contracts with the Gate on his field, and two face-downs. Kev had 1300 life points, the monsters Prophecy of Seven Cups and Prophecy of Three Pentacles in his pendulum zone, Charioteer of Prophecy, a face-down, and was now about to bring a new monster to the field.

"I XYZ summon, Adreus, Kepper of Armageddon!" said Kev.

His new monster appeared, though it had only 2600 atk points, not enough to match Doom King's 3000.

"I play Adreus's special ability." said Kev. "By detaching one overlay unit, it destroys a monster on your field."

Adreus then absorbed an overlay unit and raised its sword. Red lightning shot out of it and the lightning vaporized Doom King. Declan fell off the monster, but landed gracefully on his feet.

"Adreus, attack!" Kev shouted. "End this duel!"

"I think not!" said Declan. "I activate the trap, Dark Contract with the Dark Elf! With it, I can end the battle phase and gain 500 life points for each Dark Contract card I have on the field. Since I have two, I gain 1000 life points."

With that, Adreus's attack was thwarted and Declan's life points rose to 2500.

"Then I activate the trap, Spellbook of Ruin." said Kev. "With it, I can inflict 500 points of damage to you for each Spellbook Card in my graveyard. I have two, so take 1000 points of damage."

"I use the other effect of Dark Contract with the Dark Elf." said Declan. "By banishing it from my graveyard, any effect damage is negated and I gain that amount instead."

Declan's life points rose again, rising to 3500 life points.

"I end my turn then by playing a face-down." said Kev. "Your move."

"Then I draw." said Declan. "And due to the effects of my Dark Contracts with the Gate, I must pay 1000 life points for each one."

The contract cards lit up and Declan was then covered in electricity, groaning painfully as his life points dropped back to 1500.

"I then activate their effects." said Declan. "They allow me to search for a D/D card in my deck and add it to my hand."

Declan drew his new cards.

"I then pendulum summon." said Declan. "Monsters, emerge!"

Declan's monster then appeared from the pendulum gate.

"I pendulum summon D/D/D Doom King Armageddon." said Declan. "Along with D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok!"

Declan's Doom King reappeared, now being accompanied by his new monster, Abyss Ragnarok.

"And with Ragnarok's effect, I revive Wave King Caesar." said Declan.

Another monster then appeared from Declan's graveyard. It swung it's mighty sword as it stared down Kev.

"I'm not afraid of your monsters." said Kev. "I play the trap Gate of Prophecy. With it, if my opponent has more or equal monsters on the field as I do, he can't attack."

A gate of yellow sparks then appeared, separating Declan and Kev's monsters.

"A feeble attempt to stop me." said Declan, pushing up his glasses. "I overlay Doom King Armageddon with Abyss King Ragnarok."

Declan's two monster then became streaks of purple energy as they entered the black portal that led to the overlay network. Lightning shot out as Declan's new monster appeared.

"When two suns rise, the horizon of a new world shall open up!" said Declan. "I XYZ Summon! Appear and come forth, Rank 8, D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga!"

Declan's XYZ monster arose, sitting upon a mighty throne.

"When Kali Yuga is summoned." said Declan. "He negates all cards on the field."

A wave of brownish-yellow energy then surrounded the arena. This caused the wall between Declan and Kev's monsters to disappear right before their eyes.

"Now Kali Yuga, destroy his Charioteer of Prophecy and end this duel!" said Declan.

Kali Yuga attacked and destroyed Charioteer of Prophecy. This finished off the rest of Kev's life points and ended the duel.

As the ARC system shut down, Declan approached Kev and offered his hand. Kev took it, a disappointed look on his face.

"Your improving significantly." said Declan. "Ever since I took you under my wing, you have continued to impress me. But you still lack the skill to look ahead of the duel. You focus on what is right in front of you instead of what your opponent could be planning. Once you master that skill, then you master the opponent."

"I understand sir." said Kev. "I'm just frustrated because I was so close."

"Get used to it." said Declan. "If you are to rejoin the Lancers someday, you need live with your failures just as much as your successes, if not more. I think that's enough for today. You may go."

Kev nodded and then left the room as Claude entered.

"Yes?" Declan asked.

"Yuya Sakaki is here." said Claude. "He received your letter and would like to discuss it with you."

"Excellent." said Declan. "I'll be right up."

Claude nodded as Declan gathered his things. He then went to his office, where Yuya was waiting.

"Good afternoon Yuya." said Declan.

"Hey Declan." said Yuya.

"I hear you received my letter." said Declan, sitting down on his desk. "So tell me, what is your answer?"

"I want to go." said Yuya. "But I want to know more first. Like, where is this island?"

"Dominous is several hundred miles east of here." said Declan. "It's a remote little place that doesn't offer much to the casual eye other than natural beauty. However, high atop a mountain on Dominous known as Champion's Mountain lies the Temple of Duelists. In that temple, a duel master lies there, willing to train any duelist who he deems worthy."

"And you said this duelist taught you?" Yuya asked.

"Of course." said Declan. "Everything I know about dueling is thanks to him. I'm not as much of a prodigy as people believe I am. I was a good duelist at a young age, but my skills had not been as honed as they are now without my teacher's help."

"But why do you want me to go?" Yuya asked.

"You are very skilled Yuya." said Declan. "But your skills could always be better. Plus, there are certain things as a duelist that you seem to lack that I'm sure my master can teach you."

"Oh. Well, ok." said Yuya.

Declan could tell that Yuya didn't understand what he meant. However, he was confident that he would find out soon enough.

"So Yuya, do you accept my offer?" Declan asked.

"Sure." said Yuya. "When do I leave."

"Tomorrow morning if you wish." said Declan.

"Sounds good." said Yuya.

"Then I'll make the arrangements." said Declan. "Your boat will leave at 10 o'clock tomorrow. Claude will be there waiting for you."

"Ok." said Yuya. "Thanks Declan."

"Of course." said Declan.

Yuya then left. Once he did, Declan's secretary then called him.

"Yes?" said Declan, answering the call.

"Mr. Sylvio Sawatari is here to see you sir." said the secretary.

"Sylvio?" Declan asked. "What does he want?"

"I'm not sure sir." said the secretary. "But he demands to see you immediately. He claims it's important."

"Very well." said Declan. "Send him up."

A minute later, Declan's doors opened as Sylvio stepped in with Claude. Sylvio Sawatari was the son of the mayor of Paradise City, Furio Sawatari. Sylvio is a handsome young boy with short light brown and blonde hair, styled in layers, and grayish blue eyes. He wore his Paradise Prep School uniform, with a LID badge pinned to the collar. Normally, Sylvio often had an arrogant, boastful expression to his face. Right now though, Declan noticed he seemed expressionless, like he was hiding his true emotions.

"Good day Sylvio." said Declan.

"Declan." said Sylvio in a bored, borderline sad tone.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Declan asked.

Sylvio then approached Declan's desk. He grabbed his deck out of his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of Declan.

"You can have my resignation." said Sylvio, closing his eyes.

"Your resignation?" Declan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." said Sylvio. "I'm leaving the Lancers."

"I beg your pardon?" Claude asked, surprised. "You can't just leave the Lancers. We need-"

"Hold on Claude." said Declan. "I must say I'm surprised Sylvio."

"Well it's hard to have a member who's going to quit dueling." said Sylvio.

"Quit dueling?" Claude asked.

"Yes." said Sylvio. "It's over for me."

"Is it now?" Declan asked. "Please, do explain."

"I don't have a passion for dueling anymore." said Sylvio, turning away from Declan. "There's no point in it. Since the Dimension War and whole Zarc fiasco ended, I slowly began to realize something: I was the weakest part of the Lancers. I couldn't hold a toe to anyone the Lancers fought and the ones I did beat couldn't duel their way out of a paper bag. Because of me, Crow lost and got turned into a card. He knew I was weak and he risked his life to save me anyway. I'm not fit for this Declan. I'm not fit to be a duelist if I can't be the best. I can't beat duelists above my level and I can't get better because the only duelists I have as opponents I could duel circles around. So what's the point?"

Declan listened intently to Sylvio. Though Sylvio still tried to hide his emotions, Declan could hear the pain in his voice.

"I understand your frustrations Sylvio." said Declan. "But I am not willing to accept your resignation. Believe it or not, you are a valued part of the Lancers."

"Don't give me your pity Declan." said Sylvio.

"I'm not." said Declan. "I will offer my help though."

"Oh really?" Sylvio asked, a note of skepticism in his tone.

"Really." said Declan. "Better yet, I'll offer you a deal. You see, tomorrow morning, Yuya is going to a place called the Island of Dominous. There, he will be trained by the duelist who taught me. I want you to go with him."

"Did you not listen to a word I said?" Sylvio asked. "I'm quitting dueling. There's no point in me going."

"On the contrary, there is." said Declan. "I want you to train with Yuya and my teacher. If you do, once you are finished, I will accept your resignation from the Lancers. Just give it a try, that is all I ask."

Sylvio thought for a moment as Declan stood and offered back Sylvio's deck. Sylvio heaved a sigh and then took the deck back, his expression not changing.

"Fine." said Sylvio. "But your wasting both of our times."

Sylvio then left the room. Once he left, Claude turned back to Declan.

"Was that wise sir?" Claude asked. "I'm not sure if I have a right to say this, but I believe Sylvio is the weakest link of the Lancers."

"I don't disagree Claude." said Declan. "However, since joining the Lancers, I've seen great improvement in him both as a duelist and as a person. I know Sylvio has potential and I believe it will be unlocked through this training. Plus, even when new Lancers come, I can't afford to lose any Lancers, especially the ones we already have."

"I see." said Claude. "I just hope you made the right choice sir."

"I'm sure I did." said Declan.

* * *

"The Island of Dominous, eh?" said Skip. "Sounds like an adventure."

"But how long will you be gone?" Frederick asked.

"I'm not sure." said Yuya.

He was at the You Show Duel School, telling everyone about the trip.

"I hope it goes well." said Zuzu. "It sounds like it's gonna interesting."

"I'm curious what I'll learn." said Yuya. "I mean, what else is there to teach?"

"There's always something new to learn." said Yusho. "Even the greatest duelist never stops learning something new."

"That's true." said Skip.

"Well, I'm excited." said Yuya.

"I would be too." said Allie.

"I'll tell you guys all about it when I get back." Yuya smiled.

"Good luck Yuya." said Zuzu, giving him a hug.

"Thanks." said Yuya.

Yuya spent the rest of the day at the school, doing some practice duels with everyone. He had a great time as he wondered what his training was going to be like.

The rest of the day and the evening seemed to speed by, as before Yuya knew it, he was skating over to the docks with a knapsack and backpack slung over his shoulders.

"Today's the day." said Yugo.

"Nervous?" Yuri asked.

"Not a chance." said Yuya.

"Good to hear." Yuto said.

Yuya skidded to halt as he walked down the docks. It was nine thirty, so he was perfectly early. He walked around the dock, looking for Claude. Instead, to his surprise, he found Sylvio. Sylvio was staring out into the distance, three nice looking suitcases laying in front of him.

"Sylvio?" Yuya asked.

Sylvio jumped as he turned to see who it was. He then sighed and looked at Yuya. There was a strange expression on his face.

"Hey Yuya." said Sylvio, his voice filled with defeat.

"I haven't seen you around much." said Yuya. "How have you been?"

Sylvio simply shrugged, looking back towards the distance.

"Well, what brings you here?" Yuya asked.

"Same as you." said Sylvio.

"No kidding?" Yuy asked. "Declan sent you to train on Dominous too?"

"More like we have an arrangement." said Sylvio.

"Arrangement?" Yuya asked.

"Good morning you too." Claude said, walking in their direction. "The boat is this way."

Yuya and Sylvio followed Claude as they approached a boat with the Leo Institute insignia on it. They climbed aboard and they were showed to their rooms. After they got settled, the boat started to move. Yuya got onto the deck and waved at Claude. Claude waved back and then departed back to the Leo Institute.

"Man, this is exciting." said Yuya, stretching his hands out.

"I guess." Sylvio sighed leaning on the railing, bored.

"Well, no need to be a sourpuss." said Yuya.

"Not really in a mood Yuya. Sorry." said Sylvio.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Yuya asked, concerned for his friend.

"Just leave me be for now Yuya." said Sylvio. "I'm not in the mood to talk."

He then walked away as Yuya looked on, worry in his eyes.

"What's up with him?" Yugo asked.

"I don't know." said Yuya.


	5. Chapter 5

Episode 5: One Card at a Time

Yuya looked over the ocean as the island of Dominous began to form in the far off distance. It looked to be almost as big as Paradise City, with a massive mountain region towering above the island.

"So that's Dominous?" Yuya asked. "This is gonna be interesting."

"Wonder what we'll find?" Yuto asked.

"Who knows." said Yuri. "I just hope this training doesn't turn out to be a drag."

"Well, I'm stoked." said Yugo. "Any chance to get better sounds great to me."

Yuya then heard someone approaching. He turned to see Sylvio walking towards him, yawning as he did.

"Well, at least this ship has comfortable beds." Sylvio yawned. "That was one of best sleeps I've had in ages."

"Glad you got some sleep." said Yuya as Sylvio leaned on the railing of the boat. "We're almost there. Look."

"Yeah I see it." said Sylvio. "Not looking forward to it though."

"Why?" Yuya asked. "You didn't tell me what was wrong yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry about that." said Sylvio. "I just really don't want to do this Yuya. I want to quit dueling."

"Quit dueling?" Yuya asked in surprise.

"Yes, quit dueling." said Sylvio.

"But why?" Yuya asked.

"Cause there's no point in me doing it anymore." said Sylvio. "Not when I can't be on top and know I never will be. The only reason I'm here is to get this over with so that Declan will let me quit the Lancers."

"Sylvio." said Yuya.

"Go ahead." said Sylvio. "Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me I shouldn't quit dueling."

"I'm not gonna say that." said Yuya.

"Your not?" Sylvio asked, surprised.

"Of course not." said Yuya. "Don't get the wrong idea, I don't want you to quit dueling. I think your a great duelist and dueltainer. But if you don't want to do it anymore, I don't have any right to stop you."

"Wow." said Sylvio. "I wasn't expecting that out of you Yuya. Thank you."

"Of course." said Yuya. "But...I do hope you change your mind."

"I doubt I will." said Sylvio.

The boat eventually reached the island an hour later. Yuya and Sylvio took their things and got off. They walked into a little village, looking for a place to eat. Claude had given them some currency for the island, as it wasn't the same as back in Paradise City.

"What'll be whippersnappers?" an old man running a food stand asked.

"That dish looks good." said Yuya. "What is it?"

"It's Oyakodon." said Sylvio. "My father and I had it a few times when we were traveling. It's a rice dish with chicken and eggs."

"I'll try that then." said Yuya.

"I'll just have some shrimp tempura." said Sylvio.

"One Oyakadon and shrimp tempura." said the vendor. "Right away."

The vendor then began cooking the food as Yuya and Sylvio waited.

"So what brings you boys to Dominous?" the old man asked.

"We're duelists." said Yuya. "We were sent here for some training."

"Ah." said the old man. "Then you'll be looking for Henshuta. He lives atop the mountain, over there."

The old man pointed to the highest mountain. Sure enough, Yuya and Sylvio could make out the faintest outline of large structure.

"That doesn't look like a fun climb." said Sylvio.

"Oh, it's only a couple hours hike." said the vendor. "But many don't make it into the temple."

"Why not?" Yuya asked.

"There is a trial that duelists must pass before they enter." said the vendor. "Henshuta loves teaching, but he won't teach just anyone. If you pass this trial, you may enter."

"We were sent here by one of his old students." Sylvio said. "I suppose we'll still need to get through it?"

"Oh yes." said the vendor.

"What is the trial?" Yuya asked.

"Afraid I can't say." said the vendor. "Though I tried the trial out myself. Failed miserably."

The vendor then gave the boys their food. The two ate in silence, both pondering what lay ahead of them at the top of the mountain.

* * *

The teleporter at Duel Academy in the Fusion Dimension activated. Declan then stepped out of and was greeted by a teacher.

"Welcome sir." said the teacher. "The Professor is expecting you."

"Thank you." said Declan, walking out of the room.

Declan walked the halls of the academy, amazed by how much things had changed. The school was still a military school, but now it focused on protecting the other dimensions instead of taking over them. There were also new programs in the school, making it feel more like an institute of learning.

Declan walked into the laboratory of his father, Leo Akaba. Leo Akaba is a middle-aged tan-skinned bald man with light blue eyes. He used to wear a purple colored militaristic outfit, but now wore a long white lab coat. His perhaps most noticeable traits are the armored plate at the left side of his head with what appears to be a red circular lens, and pronounced blood vessels on the top of his head. The red lens can be used for scanning information.

Ever since the second fall of Zarc and the revival of Zuzu, Leo Akaba had turned a new leaf. He turned Duel Academy into the institute it was claiming to be and decided to begin researching dimensional travel. Declan would occasionally come in to assist. This time, Declan was called in by Leo, with Leo claiming that he had made a breaking discovery.

"Hello father." said Declan.

"Ah, Declan." said Leo. "Come here my son. I have quite the discovery for you today."

"I'm eager to see what you've found." said Declan, approaching his father.

"Come." said Leo. "Look on this monitor here."

Declan looked on the monitor. It looked like outer space, with many numbers above the different stars. In the left hand corner of the screen, four planets were there in a square like formation. Each planet had a letter above it. The letter were P, S, X, and F.

"What is this father?" Declan asked.

"Before I tell you, I wish for you to keep an open mind." said Leo. "As of now, this is all theory. But I think this theory has some merit."

"I see." said Declan.

"What you are looking at Declan." said Leo. "Is what I call Dimension Space."

"Dimension Space?" Declan asked.

"Yes." said Leo. "You see, we are all within a great universe that many scientists and scholars believe to be endless. However, I doubt this is the case. I theorize that our different dimensions are like planets within an even greater void of endless space."

"Another void of space?" Declan asked.

"Think about it." said Leo. "When the ARC-V reactor was activated during the battle with Zarc, do you really think it was strong enough to create it's own world? No, it ripped a hole into this dimension space and began to reunite the dimensions. That could also explain how Ray, Zarc, and myself survived the first split of the dimensions. I believe our bodies and souls may have been suspended in dimension space, drifting to the new dimensions as they formed."

"Do you really think it's possible?" Declan asked.

"Very." said Leo. "And I think this is proof."

Leo then typed on a keyboard and the screen changed.

"I made this camera for the soul purpose of capturing dimension space." said Leo. "Unfortunately, the footage is a little fuzzy. Still, I think I managed to get enough."

Declan peered on the screen as fuzzy images began to form. Colors of all sorts began to flash. Declan felt a surge of familiarity. It was hard to tell, but it certainly looked like the same place that they ended up when the ARC-V reactor was activated.

"Interesting." said Declan. "Father, if what you say is true, this could be revolutionary."

"I agree." said Leo. "To think, our vast, expanding universe is but one of many different-"

"Pause the video!" Declan said suddenly.

Leo did so, pausing the frame at a somewhat clear image. Declan pointed to the top of the screen. There appeared to be the outline of something a good distance away. It seemed to be something large.

"My word." said Leo. "What is that?"

"I'm not sure." said Declan. "But it's huge."

"Do you what this means Declan?" Leo asked. "This means that life could be inside this dimension space."

"Amazing." said Declan.

"I'll have to find a way to get another camera in." said Leo. "Maybe one that will last longer and go further than this one."

"I would happy to assist." said Declan.

"Thank you Declan." said Leo.

* * *

"How much longer?" Sylvio whined.

"I'm sure we're almost there." Yuya panted.

They had been walking up the mountain for hours. Thankfully, there was a lodge at the bottom of the mountain that housed duelists who were taking the challenge atop the mountain. If they succeeded, people from the lodge would bring up their things.

However, the was unfortunately only one way to get up the mountain: hike the whole way. The trail was long, winding, and rocky. Yuya could see the sun starting to get lower through the mountains.

"Over there." said Sylvio, pointing towards them.

Yuya looked and saw the temple nearby. It was surrounded by a massive wall, with huge metal doors in front.

"Finally." said Yuya.

The two of them jogged over to the temple. However, before they could knock on the door, two people stepped in front of them. They wore ninja like armor and helmets, obscuring their faces, except their mouths. One was a boy with a blue scarf, a black one piece suit like their friend Moon Shadow, silver gauntlets, and a white duel disk. The other was a girl. She had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She had gold gauntlets and a white one piece suit like her partner, along with a dark blue duel disk.

"Woah." said Yuya.

"Come no further." said the girl.

"State you business." said the boy.

"We're here to train with Henshuta." said Yuya.

"Declan Akaba sent us." Sylvio added.

"Declan Akaba, eh?" the boy said. "Do you think that makes you special enough to enter?"

"Well, no…" said Sylvio.

"Then you must pass the trial before you enter." said the girl. "And that is us. I am Mira."

"And I am Kuro." said the boy.

"To enter the temple." said Mira. "You must defeat us in a duel."

"Sounds easy." said Sylvio.

"Not so fast." said Kuro, outstretching his hand. "Hand over your decks."

"Our decks?" Yuya said, surprised.

"Hand them over now." said Mira, stretching out her hand as well.

"But you just said we had to duel you." said Sylvio.

"Hand them over." Mira demanded.

Hesitantly, Yuya and Sylvio grabbed their decks and gave them to Mira and Kuro.

"Now, two paths lie before you." said Kuro, pointing to the right and left of the mountain. "One leads you up. One leads you down. On each path, there are cards. Bring back forty cards and your trial will begin. Now, choose your path."

"I'm calling the one that goes down." said Sylvio, running to the right.

"Hey, no fair!" said Yuya.

"You snooze, you lose my friend." said Sylvio.

"Now, you must take the other path." said Mira, pointing to the left.

Yuya sighed and began to climb up the rocky cliff. Within five minutes of climbing, he already found a card. It was a Kuriboh.

"Not bad." said Yuya. "Definitely a start."

Yuya then heard a little peep. He turned to his right and nearly stumbled off the mountain. The Kuriboh he just picked up was now right there in the form of a spirit. Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri then appeared, with Yuri beginning to pat the Kuriboh.

"Well this sure is interesting." said Yuri. "Seems this mountain is full of duel spirits."

"You'd think I'd be used to this." said Yuya, pocketing the Kuriboh card and continuing to climb.

"Zarc could talk to duel spirits." said Yuto. "It's only natural that we could now."

"Hey." said Yuya, having a thought. He then turned to the Kuriboh. "Maybe you can help me little guy. I'm looking to build a deck to pass the trial on this mountain. Can you point me in the direction of some cards?"

The Kuriboh chirped and floated past Yuya, beckoning him to follow it. It then sped off as Yuya followed the little furry monsters trail.

* * *

"Ugh, this hopeless." said Sylvio. "I've already found ten cards, but only three of them look useful!"

Sylvio was walked down the path of the mountain, frustrated at his progress. He had found several cards so far, but the only ones that seemed to be helpful were Blast Sphere, Fiendish Chain, and Swords of Revealing Light. All of the other ones were low level normal monsters.

"There's got to be something useful around here." said Sylvio.

He began looking through a bush and found another card. It was one he had never seen before, a trap called Destiny Board.

"Destiny Board?" said Sylvio. "Lemme see. Yada, yada...Oh. An instant win card. Hm."

Sylvio pondered the card. He read it carefully over and over again. In order to win with this card, he needed four Spirit Message spell cards and they needed to be on the field to win. This meant that he needed a way to make sure he didn't lose for four to five turns.

Sylvio then checked the cards he already had. To his surprise, he already had one of the Spirit Message Cards, the N. Thinking on it, Sylvio pocketed the Destiny Board card and went to look for more.

 _Probably not the best idea._ Sylvio thought to himself. _But, it's pointless anyway, so might as well._

Sylvio continued to walk down the mountain, stumbling upon a cave. It was dark and he didn't know how deep it was. Using his duel disk as a faint light, he entered the cave.

He moved his duel disk around carefully, looking all over the walls and floor. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. However, he was not paying attention to where he was walking. He stumbled and slid down deeper into the cave. He eventually landed on flat ground with a mighty thud.

"Ow." said Sylvio. "Look at me. The great Sylvio Sawatari, lying flat on his butt in a damp, dark cave. I'm literally hitting rock bottom."

Sylvio turned his duel disk back on and gasped. At his feet was a massive pile of cards, so many that he couldn't even see the floor. Some were turned upside down, others right side up. To his surprise, three spell cards caught his eye. They were the last three Spirit Message cards.

"This can't be a coincidence." Sylvio said, picking the cards up.

He then began looking through each of the cards, building his deck up from whatever he could find.

* * *

Yuya continued to follow the Kuriboh spirit. As he did, the Kuriboh stopped at few points, usually where a card was. Yuya would then pick it up and take it. The Kuriboh also only let him go to specific cards, as when Yuya saw one near a card he just picked up, the Kuriboh cut in front of him and flailed it's hands at Yuya.

"Not that card?" Yuya asked.

The Kuriboh shook it's body in a definitive no. It then pointed further down the trail and Yuya walked that way. He made it to a clearing, which was littered with cards.

"Woah." said Yugo, appearing to Yuya's right. "Jackpot!"

"That's putting it mildly." said Yuya. "I've never seen no many cards in one place!"

The Kuriboh let out a little peep and started floating over the pile. It then carefully picked out cards for Yuya to take. Yuya took each card the Kuriboh picked out until he had a full deck of forty.

"Thanks Kuriboh." said Yuya.

The Kuriboh gave one more happy peep before disappearing into Yuya's new deck. Yuya looked it over, satisfied at what he had.

Yuya made his way down the trail, careful not to slip. He arrived the same time Sylvio did. Kuro and Mira were waiting at the door.

"You have returned." said Kuro. "Are you ready?"

"As we'll ever be." said Yuya.

"This will be a tag duel." said Mira. "You may not share strategies or cards in your hand. However, you may share cards that are on your field or in your graveyard. We will each also share 8000 life points."

"Works for me." said Sylvio, activating his duel disk.

"Then let the trial begin." said Kuro, activating his duel disk along with Mira and Yuya.

"Let's duel!" Everyone said.

Everyone drew their hands and got ready to duel

"I'll start things off." said Sylvio. "I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode."

Sylvio summoned his monster, a massive stone guardian that had 2000 defense points.

"I then play one card face-down and end my turn." said Sylvio, placing down a Negate Attack trap card.

"Then I'll go." said Kuro. "I draw. I play the spell Dark Designator. If my partner has a card in their deck that I name, they can add it to their hand. Mira, I presume you have the card Suijin?"

"I do." said Mira, reaching into her deck and grabbing the card. "And I'll place it in my hand."

"Then I play Double Summon." said Kuro. "This spell allows me to normal summon twice this turn. I'll use it to summon Kaiser Sea Horse first."

Kuro does this and his monster appears.

"Using the effect of Double Summon, I then tribute Kaiser Sea Horse." said Kuro. "And Kaiser Sea Horse can count as two tributes when summoning a light attributed monster. I summon Sanga of the Thunder!"

Kuro tributes his monster as a new monster, Sanga of the Thunder, appears.

"I play one card face down and end my turn." said Kuro.

"My turn then." said Yuya. "And I'll start this show by summoning Dark Resonator in defense mode."

The little tuner monster then appeared, giving his tuning fork a light tap.

"Sylvio, mind if I borrow your monster?" Yuya asked.

"Be my guest." said Sylvio.

"Then I tune level three Dark Resonator with level four Giant Soldier of Stone." said Yuya.

Dark Resonator tapped his tuning fork, then burst into a green light and turned into three, gear like rings. The rings then formed a line as Sylvio's Giant Soldier of Stone went between them. The monster became transparent and then turned into four shining orbs. Lightning then burst in between the rings as Yuya's new monster took form.

"This monster may look like garbage." said Yuya. "But he packs a powerful punch. I synchro summon, Scrap Archfiend!"

With a mighty roar, Yuya's synchro monster took the field, facing down Sanga of the Thunder.

"Not bad Yuya." said Sylvio. "Sanga of the Thunder only has 2600 attack points, while Scrap Archfiend has 2700 hundred. That gives us an advantage."

"I then place three face-downs and end my turn." said Yuya.

"You may think you have the advantage." said Mira. "But this duel has only just begun. I draw. And with my draw, I play Tribute Doll. With it, I can tribute one monster on the field to special summon a level 7 monster from my hand. I tribute Sanga of the Thunder."

With that, tendrils formed from Tribute Doll and engulfed Sanga of the Thunder, destroying it.

"I now special summon Kazejin." said Mira.

Her new monster then appeared, replacing Sanga of the Thunder.

"I then summon Battle Ox." said Mira. "But it won't be here for long, as I'm playing another Tribute Doll. And this time, I'll use it to summon Suijin."

Mira's Battle Ox is destroyed and replaced with the water monster, Suijin.

"I then play Call of the Haunted." said Kuro. "This brings back my Sanga of the Thunder from the graveyard."

Using his trap, Sanga of the Thunder returns to join it's comrades.

"Big deal." said Sylvio. "Scrap Archfiend is still stronger than your monsters."

"I think they're aware of that Sylvio." said Yuya.

"I tribute, Kazejin, Suijin, and Sanga of the Thunder." said Mira. "In order to summon, Gate Guardian."

The three monster then disappeared, being replaced with a monster that was a combination of the three and packing 3750 attack points.

"That's not good." said Sylvio.

"No kidding." said Yuya.

"Be lucky that we cannot attack yet." said Mira. "I play one card face-down and end my turn."

"My move then." said Sylvio. "I draw."

Sylvio looked at the card he drew and gasped. It was the Destiny Board card he found earlier.

Sylvio looked at his hand carefully. He and Yuya might be able to pull this maneuver off. However, he knew that he had to count on Yuya to give him protection.

"Yuya." said Sylvio.

"What's up?" said Yuya.

"I may have a way to help us win." said Sylvio. "It's risky, but it may work. But I'll need your help."

"You know it buddy." said Yuya, giving Sylvio a thumbs.

"Right." Sylvio nodded. "I play Upstart Goblin. It raises your life points by 1000, but it allows me to draw a card."

With that, Mira and Kuro's life points raised to 9000 and Sylvio drew a card. It was Dark Bribe.

 _This'll come in handy._ Sylvio thought.

"I play two cards face-down." said Sylvio. "Then I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard in defense mode."

Sylvio's monster then appeared and defiantly looked at the Gate Guardian.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guard has a neat special ability." said Sylvio. "He can't be destroyed in battle against monsters that have 1900 or more attack points. Which means your Gate Guardian isn't coming at us anytime soon."

"That remains to be seen." said Kuro. "I draw. Gate Guardian may not be able to penetrate your defenses, but my Bistro Butcher can."

With a maniacal cackle, Kuro's Bistro Butcher appeared.

"Attack his Obnoxious Celtic Guard." said Kuro. "Butcher Slash!"

"I play Negate Attack!" said Sylvio. "This negates your attack and ends the battle phase."

"Your not safe yet." said Kuro. "I equip my partners Gate Guardian with the spell, Fairy Meteor Crush. With this spell card, Gate Guardian can deal damage even when a monster is in defense mode."

"That's not good." said Yuya.

"I now end my-" said Kuro.

"Not yet you don't." Sylvio interrupted. "I activate the trap, Destiny Board."

Once Sylvio's trap wa activated, a Ouija board appeared in the air. A skeleton hand then moved over to the letter F, as the letter lit up in a flame above the board.

"So, you found the Destiny Board card." said Kuro.

"That's right." said Sylvio. "I presume you know what it does, but just in case, if we complete the word that the Destiny Board is trying to spell, Yuya and I automatically win the game."

"Woah, that's awesome!" said Yuya.

"And it looks like we have a new letter." said Sylvio.

The board then moved again over the letter I. Another flame appeared as the I appeared in the center.

"Fool." said Mira. "Do you know how wearily often people try to use this strategy on us?"

"More than you know." said Kuro. "And do you know how many have succeeded? None!"

"Then we'll be the first." said Yuya. "I draw! Scrap Archfiend, attack Bistro Butcher!"

Scrap Archfiend charges Bistro Butcher, flattening it like a pancake and lowering Kuro and Mira's life points down to 8100.

"I then play another face-down and end my turn." said Yuya.

"Pathetic." said Mira. "I draw. I then play the spell Axe of Despair. I equip it to my Gate Guardian to increase it's attack points to 4750. Now, attack that Obnoxious Celtic Guard with Tidal Surge Attack."

The Gate Guardian launches it's attack, a mighty bust of wind, water, and lightning. Though Sylvio's monster isn't destroyed, he and Yuya still take 3550 points of damage due to Fairy Meteor Crush, lowering their life points to 4450.

"You won't be able to take much more." said Mira. "We'll defeat you before you can activate your Destiny Board."

"We'll see." said Sylvio.

"For good measure, I play this. Dust Tornado." said Mira, revealing her trap from earlier. "So say goodbye to that Destiny Board."

"Not so fast." said Sylvio. "I play Dark Bribe. This negates your card and destroys it. In return, you can draw one card."

"Very well." said Mira. "I end my turn with a face-down."

"And with that, another letter forms." said Sylvio.

The skeleton hand moved again, over the letter N. The N then burst above the board next to the I.

"I draw." said Sylvio. "I end my turn."

"Foolish move." said Kuro. "I draw. I then play brain control. By giving up 800 life points, I can gain control of any monster on the field. I choose Mira's Gate Guardian."

Once their life points were lowered to 7300, Gate Guardian then shifted to the right, joining Kuro's side of the field.

"Tidal Surge Attack." said Kuro.

Gate Guardian launched it's attack again at Obnoxious Celtic Guard. It was a direct hit, lowering Yuya and Sylvio's life points to 900.

"I then play Secret Blast!" said Mira. "This hits you for 300 points of damage for each card your control. You have four and your partner has five. That's 2700 points of damage in total."

"Not so fast." said Yuya. "I play Mystik Wok. With it, I tribute Scrap Archfiend to gain life points equal to it's attack points. Not only does it raise our life points, it lowers the damage we take."

Bombs then flew out of the Secret Blast trap card as Yuya's Scrap Archfiend went inside a cooking bowl. The monster was then destroyed as Yuya and Sylvio's life points raised to 3600. However, it wasn't going to stay that way for long, as the bombs hit them for 2100 points of damage, lowering their life points to 1500.

"You may have survived." said Kuro. "But this duel isn't over yet. I end my turn. And with that, Gate Guardian returns to my partner."

"That puts a new letter on the board." said Sylvio.

The hand then went over an A. The A then burst into flames above the board. One letter remained.

 _I hope we can do this._ Yuya thought to himself. _We just need to win one more turn. C'mon deck, don't fail me._

Yuya drew and looked on in surprise. Hopefully, this card would be enough to win.

"I end my turn." said Yuya.

"That's it?" said Mira. "You fool. It's time to lose. I draw. I then play Guardian Seal. If I have Gate Guardian on the field, my opponent cannot activate spells or traps until the end of this turn."

"Oh no." said Sylvio.

"Gate Guardian, Tidal Surge Attack." said Mira. "End this duel!"

Gate Guardian let loose it's attack on Sylvio once again. It was another direct hit.

"It's over." said Kuro. "You have failed the trial. Begone."

"Not yet." said Yuya.

Gate Guardian's attack then finished, but Yuya and Sylvio remained unharmed.

"But how?" Mira asked.

"You can thank my Kuriboh for that." said Yuya with a smile. "By discarding him, the damage Sylvio and I would have taken becomes zero."

"No!" said Mira. "That means…"

"You've got no other move." said Sylvio, pointing at the Destiny Board. "Which means…"

The board then moved one last time over the letter L. The L then appeared next to the A, making the word FINAL. The Destiny Board then ignited as a surge of flames shot out of it and ignited Kuro and Mira's field. Gate Guardian was then destroyed, as well as their cards and all of their life points.

"We have lost." said Kuro.

"Impressive." said Mira. "Your teamwork managed to outdo our own. You may enter the temple. Good luck with your training."

"Thanks." said Yuya. "Enjoy the duel Sylvio."

"Eh." said Sylvio. "I figured we'd win no matter what."

Yuya and Sylvio then entered the temple. The entrance was a huge garden full of all sorts of bushes all over the wall. The yard around the temple was completely clear and wide, perfect for people to run around. There seemed to be some sort of obstacle course and exercise equipment near the back.

"Gotta admit." said Sylvio. "Not a bad place to look at."

"No kidding." said Yuya. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." said someone at the entrance.

Yuya and Sylvio looked over to see an old man standing there. He had a large, puffy white beard that covered his mouth. He was completely bald, except for a few strands of hair on his head. He wore a yellow shirt and pants and held a wooden cane. He wore wooden sandals.

This was Master Henshuta.


	6. Chapter 6

Episode 6: A New Star in Town

The old man approached Yuya and Sylvio. Despite having a cane, he didn't use it to walk.

"Glad to see some new students." said Henshuta. "Yuya Sakaki and Sylvio Sawatori I presume?"

"How did you know?" Yuya asked.

"Declan told me you were coming." said Henshuta. "Called me last night."

"You have a phone up here?" Sylvio asked.

"Here? Nonsense." said Henshuta. "Down at the lodge."

"Oh." said Sylvio. "That makes sense."

"Course it does." said Henshuta. "I own that place after all."

"You own that lodge?" Yuya asked.

"Certainly." said Henshuta. "Dominous Island is an excellent tourist area. Not only that, but any duelist that loses the trial has to pay for a room at the lodge. Most do, so that keeps the bread in my jar."

"That's rather cheap." said Yuya.

"Oh, that's hardly the reason I have the trial." said Henshuta. "That trial has existed long before I became the master of this temple. I'm simply using it in another way. But, that's not why you're here. Tell me, how did you pass the trial?"

"It was a tag duel." said Yuya. "We beat the trial using the Destiny Board trap card."

"Destiny Board?" Henshuta said in surprise. "Oh ho. I've never heard of anyone passing the trial using Destiny Board. Very impressive."

"Thanks." said Sylvio.

"Well then, let's get you settled in, then we'll start tomorrow." said Henshuta.

"Sure." said Yuya.

Yuya and Sylvio followed Henshuta into the temple. They were nearly inside when Yuya realized something.

"Our decks!" Yuya said. "We never got back our decks."

"Hey, that's right." said Sylvio.

"Oh, don't worry about that." said Henshuta. "You won't be needing your decks for some time. They'll be in my care."

"What?" Sylvio asked indignantly. "How are we supposed to do some duel training if we don't even have decks?"

"This training is more than just duel training." said Henshuta. "It is training of you as a duelist and as a person."

"As a duelist and a person?" Yuya asked.

"You'll understand as we progress." said Henshuta. "For now, let's get you settled in."

Thus, they followed Henshuta into the temple, where he lead them to the rooms where they would be staying.

* * *

"Go Doodle Beast-Tyranno." said Frederick. "Attack Allie directly!"

Frederick's monster charged at Allie, who had no way to defend herself. She frantically looked for an action card, but it was too late. The attack connected, causing Allie to lose all of her life points.

"Ooooooh." said Alan. "That looks like it hurt."

"Allie." said Skip, shaking his head as the action field faded away. "How many times do I have to remind you? Look for action cards beforehand."

"Sorry, sir." said Allie as Frederick helped her up.

"We'll practice again." said Skip. "Zuzu, would you be Frederick's partner?"

"Sure." said Zuzu.

"Ok Allie." said Skip, starting up a new action field. "Watch Zuzu closely. Observe how she duels, watch her movements."

"Ok." said Allie, standing next to Tate and Gong.

"Then let's go with this." said Skip. "Generating Action Field, For-"

"Knock, knock." said someone over the intercom.

Skip stopped the duel and pressed a button on the monitor. At the entrance of the school, a man in a fancy business suit was outside. The man had blonde, slicked back hair. He had bright blue eyes, a strong chin, and a pearly white smile.

"Anybody home?" the man asked pleasantly.

"Door is open." said Skip over the intercom. He then addressed everyone else. "Let's hold off guys. We seem to have company."

The man entered and found his way to the duel field, his smile unwavering. Skip went up to address him as everyone watched on.

"Greetings and salutations." the man said, shaking Skips hand. "Are you the one who runs this establishment?"

"Yes." said Skip. "I'm the principal and a teacher here, Skip Boyle."

"Nice to make your acquaintance Skip." said the man. "My name is Eric. Eric Samson. I'm a duel manager in the professional league."

"A duel manager?" Frederick asked in awe.

"That's right young fellow." said Eric. "And I'm here looking for some new prospects for the professional circuit. Say, would a fellow by the name of Yuya Sakaki be here?"

"Yuya isn't here right now." said Zuzu. "He's off doing some training."

"Ah, I see." said Eric. "Well, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him. In the meantime, I'd be delighted to see what you guys have to offer here."

"Well, we don't have much in terms of students." said Skip. "But you won't find more talented dueltainers."

"I'm sure." said Eric. "Now let's see."

Eric then began looking over the students. Saya tensed up a bit, but tried her best not to show it, hoping to impress the manager.

"Hm." said Eric, addressing Gong. "What's your name son?"

"Gong, sir." said Gong.

"Well Gong." said Eric. "How long have you been going to this school?"

"Gong doesn't go here." said Gong. "At least, not officially. Gong is a student at the Strong Dojo, owned by Gong's daddy. However, Gong has friends here, so Gong comes here often."

"I see." said Eric. "Then, in your opinion, who is the best duelist here?"

"Easy." said Gong, pointing at Zuzu. "Zuzu."

"Ah. I see." said Eric, approaching Zuzu. "Zuzu was it?"

"Yeah." said Zuzu.

"Our pride and joy." Skip said with a fatherly smile. "Our best student and my lovely daughter."

"Dad." said Zuzu, threateningly waving her paper fan. Skip immediately let go immediately.

"Well, I'd like to put that to the test." said Eric with a flashy smile. "I can tell by just looking at you and that Gong fellow that you've got potential. Tell me, would you be willing to show your stuff?"

"Sure." said Zuzu.

"Gong's up for it." said Gong.

"Splendid." Eric said happily.

"Then let's get started." said Skip.

* * *

Yuya and Sylvio were standing as still as possible in the garden of the temple. Jars were carefully placed on their heads and hands. Henshuta was with them too, being as still as a statue with the jars on his head, hands, and even one on his one of his knees.

Yuya and Sylvio were now wearing white karate gi. They had no shoes on and the gi was tied with a black belt.

"Patience boys." He said calmly. "Concentrate."

"Not much else we can do." Sylvio grumbled.

The two continued to balance the jars, struggling under the weight of them.

"What does this have to do with dueling again?" Sylvio asked.

"Ah, no questions." said Henshuta. "Everything has its purpose. It's up to you to find it. Now, recite my three rules of training. Rule number one."

"Do what your master says, without question." said Yuya and Sylvio.

"Correct." said Henshuta. "Rule number two."

"Do not apologize for your mistakes." said Yuya and Sylvio. "Learn from them."

"Very good." said Henshuta. "Rule number three."

"Push your limits, but do not break yourself." said Yuya and Sylvio.

"Excellent." said Henshuta. "You're certainly fast learners. I once had a student that took four days just to memorize those rules."

Henshuta then slowly changed his position. Yuya and Sylvio watched as he carefully moved his arms closer to his chest and smoothly move the jar to his other knee. He did not spill a single drop of water.

Yuya and Sylvio meanwhile were still having trouble. Yuya tried to adjust himself, but he stumbled, causing the jars to fall and splash him with water. Sylvio smirked at this, causing him to lose focus and get drenched as well. Carefully, Henshuta put down each of his jars and turned to his students.

"Well, not the best I've seen." said Henshuta. "But I've seen worse."

"Sorry." said Yuya.

"Remember rule number two." said Henshuta. "I do not ask nor do I expect perfection. However, I do expect improvement. And I'm sure I'll get before this training is done."

"Yes sir." said Yuya.

"Now then." said Henshuta. "Go dry yourselves off. We'll move on to our next lesson."

"Yes master." said Yuya and Sylvio.

Henshuta then bowed and Yuya and Sylvio bowed back. The two then walked off to put on a new pair of clothes.

* * *

"Generating Action Field, Crystal Cavern." said Skip, pressing the button to activate the action field.

The field then changed to a massive cavern full of crystals. Zuzu and Gong stared each other down as the onlookers awaited their duel.

"Let's duel." said Gong and Zuzu.

"Ladies first." said Zuzu. "I'll start by summoning Aria, the Melodious Diva in attack mode."

Zuzu's monster appeared, singing a little song as she did.

"I then place two face-downs and end my turn." said Zuzu. "Which activates the special ability of my Aria. When she doesn't inflict battle damage to you this turn, you take 800 points of damage."

A blast of music notes then shoots out of Aria's mouth, hitting Gong and lowering his life points to 3200.

"Then it's Gong's turn. Draw!" said Gong. "Gong'll start this duel by summoning Superheavy Samurai Drum. Then, since Gong controls a Superheavy Samurai monster, Gong can special summon Superheavy Samurai Hexagon."

Gong's two monsters then appeared, a large samurai monster and a little drum.

"Gong then tunes level one Drum with level six Hexagon." said Gong.

With a loud beat, Drum burst into a green light and turned into one, gear like ring. The ring then encircled Hexagon. The monster became transparent and then turned into six shining orbs. Lightning then burst in between the ring as Gong's new monster took form.

"Gong synchro summons!" Gong called out. "Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja!"

With a swing of it's staff, Gong's monster appeared in defense mode.

"When Stealth Ninja is in defense mode." said Gong. "It can attack using it's defense points. Plus, with its special ability, Gong can attack you directly so long as Stealth Ninja's defense is cut in half. Gong then equips Stealth Ninja with Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet. This increases his defense by 400 points."

Gong's new monster appeared on the field, then flew onto the hand of Gong's synchro monster like a glove. With it, Stealth Ninja's defense raised up to 3200

"Stealth Ninja, attack Zuzu directly!" said Gong.

Zuzu quickly ran around the cavern, searching for an action card. Gong stood where he was, observing as his Superheavy Samurai went for the attack.

"Say, that Gong fellow isn't moving." said Eric. "Doesn't he want to grab an action card to stop her?"

"Gong doesn't duel like that." said Saya. "His style is called Heavy Strong. It's a style that doesn't use any spell or trap cards."

"I see." said Eric.

Zuzu managed to grab an action card and immediately played it.

"I play the action spell Battle Lock." said Zuzu. "This stops you from declaring an attack this turn."

"Fine. Gong ends his turn." said Gong.

"Then it's my turn." said Zuzu. "I draw. I then play my trap, Interdimensional Matter Transporter. This banishes my Aria until the end phase of this turn."

A machine appears and sucks up Aria inside of it.

"I then play the spell Ostinato." said Zuzu. "While I control no monsters, I can fusion summon a Melodious fusion monster, but its destroyed during the end phase of my turn. I fuse Solo, the Melodious Songstress with Mozarta the Melodious Maestra."

Zuzu's monsters then formed together and swirled in a circle of yellow and light yellow.

"Now listen as these two harmonize and fuse into one." said Zuzu. "As their powers merge and transform into something even more melodic! Behold, the showstopping songstress whose voice will blow you away. I fusion summon, Bloom Diva, the Melodious Choir."

With a beautiful note, Zuzu's new monster appeared.

"Bloom Diva, attack." said Zuzu. "And when Bloom Diva attacks, she can't be destroyed in battle, you take the damage I would have taken, and your monster is destroyed."

Bloom Prima sang her song, sending a shockwave from her mouth and the flowers on her back. The shockwaves causes Gong's Stealth Ninjia to quake then be destroyed, inflicting Gong with 2200 points of damage, lowering his life points to 1000.

"I end my turn." said Zuzu. "The effect of Ostinato then activates and my Bloom Diva is destroyed. However, I can then special summon the monsters I used to fusion summon with it. I special summon back Mozarta and Solo, along with Aria back. And, since Aria didn't inflict battle damage to you this turn, her special ability hits you for 800 points of damage."

Bloom Diva disappeared, replaced with Mozarta, Aria, and Solo. Aria then let out another blast of song notes, lowering Gong's life points to 200.

"Gong ain't done yet." said Gong. "Gong draws! Gong then activates the effect of Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja. When he's destroyed by a special effect, he's summoned back to the field. Gong then summons the tuner monster Superheavy Samurai Flutist."

Gong's Stealth Ninja arose again from the graveyard as his new monster emerged, blowing on his flute as he did.

"Gong tunes level two Flutist with level seven Stealth Ninja." said Gong. "Gong synchro summons, Superheavy Samurai Beast Kyubi."

Gong's new synchro monster formed, a centaur like creature with a mighty club like staff.

"Kyubi gains 900 defense points for each special summoned monster on your field." said Gong. "You've got three, so Kyubi gains 2700 defense points."

Gong's Kyubi then let's out a triumphant battle cry as it's defense points raise to 5200.

"Due to Kyubi's effect, he has to attack the strongest monster on your field." said Gong. "Gong then equips Kyubi with Superheavy Samurai Soulhorns. This allows Kyubi to attack twice."

A pair of horns then broke apart and latched themselves onto Kyubi's shoulders.

"Kyubi, attack Mozarta!" said Gong.

Zuzu went for another action card as Kyubi charged Mozarta. Zuzu saw one, but she was too far away. Kyubi blasted away Mozarta, hitting Zuzu with 2600 points of damage and lowering her life points to 1400. However, now that Mozarta was destroyed, Kyubi's defense points lowered to 4300.

"Now, Kyubi, attack Aria." said Gong.

This time, Zuzu made it to the action card.

"I play Evasion." said Zuzu. "This allows me to avoid your attack."

"Then Gong ends his turn." said Gong.

"Then I draw." said Zuzu. "I then end my turn. Aria then activates her effect, causing you to lose 800 points of damage."

For the last time, Aria launched her blast of music notes, hitting Gong and reducing his life points to zero. The field then disappeared as Eric clapped in excitement.

"Wonderful!" said Eric. "Now that was a thrilling duel. Miss Boyle, you've got some potential. I'm ready to sign you up for the big leagues. Whaddya say?"

He then held out his hand with a huge, toothy grin.

"Well." said Zuzu, looking around at everyone.

To her surprise, she saw Gong shake his head in an obvious "no." He was giving Zuzu a look of distrust, which was directed at Eric.

"I appreciate the offer." said Zuzu. "But I think I'll wait. I'm not sure I'm ready for the professional circuit yet."

"Ah." said Eric, pure disappointment in his voice. "I see."

He then turned to Skip, giving him another toothy grin.

"I'll certainly be in touch." said Eric, giving Skip a business card. "I see potential here. If your daughter changes her mind, be sure to give me a call. Good day sir."

"Ok. Goodbye." said Skip, watching as Eric left.

"Gong, what's wrong?" Zuzu asked, approaching Gong who was staring down Eric as he left.

"Gong don't trust that fellow." said Gong. "Gong can't put his finger on it, but there is certainly something off about him."

"He did seem kinda strange." said Skip. "Still, not everyday a professional duel manager stops by. I'm sure we'll see him again."

"That's what Gong is worried about." said Gong.

* * *

 **Authors Note: So, in case you couldn't guess already, Yuya and Sylvio won't be dueling for a while. Still, this leaves some time for our other characters to come in and I have some pretty good duels coming up ahead. Also, this is the first time Zuzu and Gong have ever been seen dueling each other (though it is in a non canon sense). I hope you all enjoyed the result of this duel. Gong is a good character, but I just kinda like Zuzu better, which is partially why I had her win. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, though it was a bit on the short side. Chapter 7 will be coming soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

Episode 7: Strong Tactics

At the temple on Dominous, Yuya and Sylvio are running around the perimeter of the wall. Each of them are holding poles over their shoulders. At the ends of the poles are buckets splashing with water. The water weighed heavily on Yuya and Sylvio's shoulders and they had to do ten laps around the temple. They were currently on their seventh lap.

"Man." said Sylvio. "I'd rather be...taken by Sector Security...than do this…"

"Yeah." said Yuya. "I'm with...with you on that…"

"C'mon boys." Henshuta said merrily as they passed by. "Put your backs into it. The slower you go, the longer it'll take you to finish."

"Ugh." said Sylvio.

The two continued to run, then slowly divert into a jog. By the final lap, the two of them were casually walking, panting from exhaustion. They finished, put down the pole and buckets and flopped onto the ground in front of Henshuta.

"Tut, tut." said Henshuta. "You call yourselves dueltainers and a little running wears you out?"

Sylvio and Yuya don't respond. They simply continue to pant in exhaustion.

"Well, don't get too comfortable." said Henshuta. "You've still got work to do today. Feel free to get a drink from one of the buckets. Leave the rest. You'll need them."

Yuya grabbed one of his buckets and took a swig. The water felt cool and refreshing. He then handed it to Sylvio, who took an even bigger swig. He heaved a sigh of relief as he put the bucket down.

"Alright, take the buckets." said Henshuta. "I'll take the poles. You won't need them for this next task."

"Yes master." the boys said together.

Yuya and Sylvio grabbed their buckets and Henshuta took the two poles. He then lead them back inside the temple and stopped at the entrance.

"Wait here." said Henshuta.

He then left and came back a few minutes later with two sponges, hand brushes, and some soap.

"Alright." said Henshuta. "Here is your next task. Use the buckets to wash the floor. When you do, wash the floor like this."

Henshuta then did an oval like movement with his hand.

"As you do it." said Henshuta. "Breath in when your hand gets closer to your body. Breath out when it gets farther from your body. Oh, and you may only use your right hand."

"Only our right hand?" Yuya asked. "But-"

"Ah." said Henshuta. "No questions. Now then, good luck."

"The entire floor?" Sylvio asked.

"As long as it's hardwood." said Henshuta.

Henshuta then left them alone. Yuya and Sylvio began their work, doing the motion that Henshuta showed them. After about an hour, they nearly finished their work. Henshuta returned, holding some towels.

"Good work." said Henshuta. "Floor looks wonderful. Oh, Sylvio, your movement is a bit too far. A little closer. That's it. Yuya, a little farther from your chest. Good. Now, once you've dried this room, move on to the next. If you need more water, there is a hose outside and soap in the bathroom. Right, carry on. I'll check on you again later."

Henshuta then left back to their work as they started to dry the floor.

"This is ridiculous." said Sylvio. "We came here to learn about dueling, not how to be handmaids."

"It's not that bad." said Yuya.

"It's pointless." said Sylvio. "I already don't want to be here. But I'd rather waste my time learning about dueling then waste my time washing a floor."

"I'm sure there's a reason." said Yuya.

"Hmph." said Sylvio. "The guy already is exploiting people out of money using the trial. I bet he's probably exploiting us to do his chores."

"No way." said Yuya. "Declan wouldn't have sent us here just to do that."

"So your telling me your not frustrated?" Sylvio asked. "Your telling me any of this makes sense?"

"I…" said Yuya.

In truth, he did sort of agree with Sylvio. All of this did seem rather pointless. Henshuta had just had them go through physical exercise and chores so far. How was this training for dueling?

"I'm sure we'll find out what all this is for." said Yuya.

"How?" Sylvio asked. "We're not supposed to ask questions."

"I don't know." said Yuya. "For now though, let's just not lose our heads."

Sylvio sighed and continued his work. The two worked in silence for the rest of the time, pondering their current situation.

* * *

Gong had just gotten out of school and was walking back to his father's dojo. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and Gong was enjoying the fresh breeze.

"Hope Yuya is enjoying days like this." Gong said to himself.

Gong continued to walk back to the dojo, greeting people as he passed.

"Hey, Gong!" someone called out behind him.

Gong turned to see the smiling face of his friend from the Fusion Dimension, Sora Perse. Sora was a fellow Lancer and a student at Duel Academy. Sora is a short, young boy with light cyan hair, that is tied up and spiked out. He wears a blue jacket that bears some resemblance to Duel Academies Obelisk Blue jacket, with a yellow and orange trim over a black t-shirt. He also wears a pair of light gray cargo shorts over long white socks and brown shoes. In his mouth, Sora is sucking on a lollipop, causing the stick to poke out like a cigarette.

"Sora." said Gong. "What're you doing here friend?"

"I came to visit for a few days." said Sora, hugging Gong. "Duel Academy has a week off, so what better way to spend it than with my good friends."

"Well, you won't hear Gong complain." Gong smiled.

"Say, wheres Yuya?" Sora asked. "I was gonna ask him or Zuzu if I could stay with them."

"Yuya's out of town." said Gong. "Declan sent him out to do some sort of training."

"Really?" said Sora. "Aw, that's a shame. I was hoping to say hi."

"I'm sure Yuya's mom would let you stay over." said Gong.

"Heh. Of course." said Sora. "How can anyone say no to this face?"

The two then walked off to the dojo, catching up. Sora told Gong all about how Duel Academy has changed. They've now included clubs, theater programs, sports teams. Sora had even started a club of his own, a baking club. Eventually, they reached the dojo and went their separate ways. Sora ran off to meet with the Sakaki's while Gong walked up the stairs to enter his father's dojo. Several students greeted him as he entered. Gong simply waved or nodded back in response as he usually did.

"Daddy." said Gong. "Gong's home."

He entered his father's private room and found that his father had company. It was the manager from the other day at the You Show Duel School.

"Mr. Strong." said Eric, turning to see Gong with a huge smile.

"What do you want?" Gong asked.

"I was just having a chat with your father." said Eric.

"Whatever you want, Gong ain't interested." said Gong.

"Now, young man." said Eric pleasantly, pulling out a contract. "I wanted to give you the opportunity that your friend Zuzu turned down. I was just talking with your father about it and he said he'd support you all the way through."

"Indeed." said Mr. Strong. "IF that's what my son wants. What do you think Gong?"

"Gong says no." said Gong.

"Then it is no." said Mr. Strong. "Now, kindly leave my dojo."

Eric got up and left. Gong watched him leave, a look of disappointment on the managers face.

"What a bore." said Mr. Strong.

"Gong don't trust that fellow." said Gong. "Can't put a finger on it, but Gong don't like him."

"I had a similar instinct." said Mr. Strong. "We better watch out for him."

Gong nodded as he and his father went to make dinner and discuss the events of the day.

* * *

Skip was organizing the conference room when Nico Smiley entered the room.

"Ah, Skip." said Nico. "How are you friend?"

"I'm alright." said Skip. "And if you're looking for Yuya, he's not here. Out of town in fact."

"That explains why I haven't seen him." said Nico. "Actually, I wasn't looking for Yuya. I was looking for Yusho. I have a duel I've been wanting to book with him and I'm trying to see when he's not busy."

"I think he's schedule is packed till November." said Skip. "I'll check with him when I see him later."

"Smashing." said Nico. "So, what's new here?"

"Not much." said Skip. "We had a duel manager stop by the other day. Some guy by the name of Eric Samson."

"SAMSON?!" Nico shouted. "You didn't sign any of your students to him, did you?"

"No." said Skip. "I mean, he was really only interested in Zuzu, Gong, and probably Yuya if Yuya was around. He offered a contract to Zuzu, but she declined."

"Good show." said Nico. "Samson is nothing but a dirty, rotten crook."

"A crook, eh?" Skip asked.

"Yes, a crook." said Nico. "He builds up his clients to pure stardom, only to rob them from house and home afterwards, especially once they lose popularity. He does the same with the next duelist, then the next duelist, then the next."

"Good gracious." said Skip. "How can he get away with that?"

"Technically he's not doing anything illegal." said Nico. "At least, not visibly illegal."

"What does that mean?" Skip asked.

"Let's just say you've probably not seen the last of him." said Nico. "Your students better watch themselves."

"Right." said Skip. "Thank you Nico."

"Of course." said Nico. "Now, do you need a hand? Looks like you've quite the amount of paperwork to go through."

"If your up for it." said Skip. "I'd be grateful for the help."

* * *

Gong decided to go for an evening stroll. It was a nice, cool night, with a pleasant breeze. It had been a while since he'd done something like this, so it was refreshing.

Gong thought about how much had changed since the events of the Dimensional War. The four dimensions were now at peace, his best friend was now a professional duelist, and now Gong and Zuzu were being scouted for the professional circuit. Gong wasn't really interested in that though. He enjoyed dueling for the fun of it and, while he wouldn't be against joining the professionals, he wanted to do it when he was ready, on his terms. Though Yuya did earn his place as a professional, the opportunity was also forced on him by Declan. That was something Gong didn't want, to be forced to become a professional duelist.

Gong found himself looking towards the stadium on the bridge Yuya usually sat at. Gong thought about all the times he found Yuya sitting on the railing of the bridge before a big match, goggles on, swinging the pendulum on his pendant.

"Gong hopes you're doing well Yuya." said Gong.

Suddenly, Gong heard a noise to his left. Someone was walking down the bridge towards him.

"Who goes there?" Gong said.

"Hello Gong." the person said, trying to sound intimidating.

The person came into the light. Gong didn't recognize the guy. He was tall and had black, buzz cut hair. He had mean looking brown eyes and a nasty grin. He wore a black leather neck piece and a purple tank top. He wore baggy black pants and brown boots.

"Who are you?" Gong demanded.

"Just a fan." the guy said ominously. He then pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. "Who wants an autograph."

The guy unrolled the parchment and Gong saw that it was the contract Eric Samson was holding earlier.

"So, you work for that Samson guy?" Gong asked.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." said the guy. "Not that I'd know what a big shot like Eric Samson would want with me."

"How much did he pay you to say that?" Gong asked sarcastically.

"So." said the guy, raising his duel disk. "Am I gonna get my autograph or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

Gong didn't say anything. He simply raised his duel disk, turning it on. The guy smirked and turned his on as well.

"Let's duel!" the two said together.

"I'll go first." said the guy. "I play one monster in face-down defense mode and one card face-down. That's all for me."

"Then Gong draws!" said Gong. "Gong sets his pendulum scale with scale one Superheavy Samurai General Jade and scale eight Superheavy Samurai General Coral."

Gong then set his pendulum monsters, his duel disk lighting up the word PENDULUM on his duel disk.

"Gong can now pendulum summon." said Gong. "Monsters between the levels of 2 and 7 all at the same time. Gong pendulum summons!"

A pendulum and a portal then appeared as Gong's four monsters shot out in beams of light.

"Appear, Superheavy Samurai Drum!" said Gong. "Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer, Superheavy Samurai Soulhorns, and Superheavy Samurai Magnet!"

Gong's monster appeared in formation.

"Gong then activates Jade's special ability." said Gong. "It let's Gong raise Drum's level from 1 to 2. Gong then tunes level two Drum with level four Magnet!"

Gong's Superheavy Samurai Drum then let out a beat as it burst into two rings. Magnet then went within the rings, turning into four shining orbs. Lighting burst through the orbs as Gong's new monster took form.

"Gong synchro summons!" Gong said. "Superheavy Samurai Ogre Shutendoji!"

Gong's new monster appeared, slamming it's club on the ground.

"Ogre Shutendoji can attack even when in defense mode." said Gong. "Plus, when it's summoned, it destroys every spell and trap on your side of the field."

The guy's face-down card, Mirror Force, was then destroyed.

"Gong then equips Shutendoji with Soulhorns and Soulpiercer." said Gong. "Not only does this allow Shutendoji to attack twice, but he can also inflict piercing damage!"

"What?" the guy asked in shock.

"Ogre Shutendoji, attack!" said Gong.

Shutendoji took Soulpiercer and shot an arrow from it. It revealed the opponent's face-down monster, Marshmallon.

"Marshmallon can't be destroyed in battle." the guy said. "Plus, when it's flipped face-up from an attack, it hits you for 1000 points of damage."

The opponents Marshmallon then leapt at Gong and bit him, lowering his life points to 3000.

"It don't matter one bit." said Gong. "You'll still take damage."

The arrow then hit the guy in his chest, lowering his life points to 2000.

"And Gong can attack again." said Gong. "Now attack once more Shutendoji!"

Shutendoji repeated the attack. Marshmallon could not activate its effect again, so the guy was defenseless as Gong finished him off. The impact of the last attack knocked the opponent back as the duel ended.

"Hmph." said Gong. "If this is all that Samson has got, Gong's pretty disappointed."

"This ain't over punk." said the guy. "Not by a longshot."

Gong simply snorted in disgust and walked off, deciding that it was time to return home.


	8. Chapter 8

Episode 8: A Real Treet

Sora gave a big yawn and stretch as he woke up on the Sakaki's couch. He scratched his back as a pleasant smell of pancakes and bacon wafted pass his nose. He then walked into the kitchen as Yoko finished making breakfast.

"Morning Mrs. Sakaki." said Sora.

"Good morning Sora." said Yoko. "Hope you slept well."

"I did." Sora smiled. "Your couch is nice and comfy."

"Glad to hear it." said Yoko, setting down a plate for him. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." said Sora.

Sora happily munched down the food. He thought Yoko Sakaki's cooking was some of the best he ever had, especially her breakfast. She then sat down next him as Yusho walked in.

"Good morning my love." said Yusho, kissing Yoko on the forehead. "Hello Sora."

"Good morning Mr. Sakaki." said Sora.

"What's on the agenda for today m'boy?" Yusho asked.

"I'm heading over to the duel school after this." said Sora. "Thought I'd surprise everyone."

"Well, we certainly won't breathe a word." said Yoko. "But you finish breakfast and do the dishes first."

"Yes ma'am." said Sora.

Once Sora was finished, he ran over to the You Show Duel School. He knew Yuya wouldn't be there, but he was excited to see everyone else. It had been some time since he visited, so he was looking forward to it.

When he arrived, Sora saw a duel between Tate and a student from the XYZ dimension, Alan. Sora walked in unnoticed, observing the duel.

"Go Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max!" said Alan. "Activate your special ability and win me the duel!"

Alan's train fired it's cannon, winning him the duel. The duel field then disappeared as Alan and Tate shook hands.

"That was a great duel." said Tate.

"Not too bad yourself." said Alan. "Just not quite on my level."

"Good job, both of you." said Skip. "Alright, who's next?"

"Well, whoever they are." said Sora, taking out a lollipop. "Hope they don't mind dueling me."

Everyone jumped as they finally noticed Sora.

"Sora!" Zuzu said happily, hugging her friend.

"Hey Sora!" said Allie.

"Oh, Sora!" said Frederick. "How wonderful!"

"Hiya Sora!" said Tate.

"Well, this is a surprise." said Skip. "How goes it Sora?"

"Good." said Sora. "I got a week off from Duel Academy, so I figured I'd hang with you guys."

"Aw, that's sweet." said Zuzu. "Yuya's not here though."

"I know." said Sora. "Gong told me yesterday. I also stayed at the Sakaki's last night."

"Well then, let's get you set up." said Skip. "Who wants to be Sora's opponent?"

"No need to look far." said someone at the doorway. "I've got an opponent right here."

In the doorway was Eric Samson, who was giving a cheeky, pleasant smile. Along with him was a young woman with long, black hair. She wore a gray tank top covered by a red leather jacket. She also had a toothpick in her mouth. She wore torn up jeans and brown boots.

"What do you want?" Skip asked.

"Now, now." said Eric. "It seems we have a potential new client here. Plus, I've even brought a duelist to challenge him."

"We're not interested." said Skip.

"Hold on." said Sora, putting the lollipop in his mouth to mimic the girl. "What's your offer?"

"A chance to get into the professional circuit." Eric said pleasantly. "I just want to see what you're made of before I sign you on."

"Really?" Sora asked.

"No Sora." Skip whispered. "You can't trust this guy. Smiley told me about him. He's a regular crook."

"Hm." said Sora. "Ok, how about this. If I lose, I'll sign your contract."

"That's a deal friend." said Eric. "Let's get started. Stacy, darling, ready to duel."

"Sure thing boss." the woman named Stacy said.

Sora and Stacy then entered the duel field.

"Ok." said Skip. "Let's get an Action Field going. Generate Action Field, Majestic Castle, now!"

The Action Field then appeared as the duelists got surrounded by a castle.

"Sweet." aid Sora. "This'll be fun."

"Let's duel." the two of them said.

"I'll start by playing Toy Vendor." said Sora. "With it, I can discard one card, then draw a card from my deck. If it's a level four or lower monster, I can summon it."

A giant toy dispenser then appeared as Sora discard Fluffal Bear. The discarded card turned into a coin that put itself into the machine. The machine then cranked as a Sora drew his card.

"Well, look at that." said Sora. "It's Fluffal Octopus."

Sora's monster then appeared in defense mode, a cute little pink octopus stuffed animal with wings on it's head.

"And lucky me." said Sora. "Cause when Octopus is summoned, I can add an Edge Imp or Fluffal monster in my graveyard to my hand. So back comes my Fluffal Bear."

Sora then retrieved his monster and added it back to his hand.

"I then lay a face-down and end my turn." said Sora. "You're up."

"Your fighting me with a bunch of stuffed animals?" Stacy asked. "Please, I tear up those cotton swabs on a daily basis. I draw. I then play Polymerization. I fuse Black Luster Soldier with King of the Swamp to summon, Dragon Master Knight!"

Stacy's fusion monster appeared, letting out a mighty roar as it did.

"5000 attack points?" said Frederick. "How's Sora going to deal with that?"

"I then summon Marauding Captain." said Stacy. "When Marauding Captain is summoned, I can special summon another monster. I choose Warrior Lady of the Wasteland."

Stacy's new monsters appeared on each side of her fusion monster, ready to do battle.

"Marauding Captain, wipe out that Octopus." said Stacy.

Her Marauding Captain attacked, slicing Fluffal Octopus in half.

"Dragon Master Knight, finish this!" said Stacy. "Dragon Saber Blast!"

"As if." said Sora. "I play Punch-in-the-Box. This not only negates your attack, but it destroys your Warrior Lady and reduces your Dragon Master Knight by it's attack points."

A jack in the box then popped up. It opened, releasing a boxing glove that countered Dragon Master Knight's attack. The attack then hit Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, destroying it and lowering Dragon Master Knight's atk to 3500.

"Whatever." said Stacy. "I end my turn."

"Big mistake." winked Sora. "My draw. And I play Toy Vendor again. Now let's see what I get next."

Sora discards the monster Edge Imp Frightfuloid to activate his Toy Vendor.

"Oooooh, goody." said Sora. "It's Edge Imp Sabers."

Sora's new monster then appeared from the Toy Vendor, taking its place on the field.

"I think I'll then play Fluffal Owl." said Sora. "By doing that, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand. And fuse Edge Imp Sabers with Fluffal Owl by using its special ability. All I gotta do is pay 500 life points."

Sora's monster then began to swirl around in a brown and purple swirl of light.

"Edge of Sharpness and Wings of an Owl." said Sora. "Bring us forth a beast most foul! I fusion summon! Meet Frightfur Daredevil!"

Sora's fusion monster then appeared, a red devil like stuffed animal holding a black pitchfork, which it twirled as it made its entrance.

"I'm not even close to being done there though." said Sora. "I use the Polymerization in my hand to fusion summon again. This time it'll be Fluffal Bear and another Edge Imp Sabers in my hand. Now, Edge of Sharpness and Fury of Bear! When the two come together, you better beware! I fusion summon, Frightfur Bear!'

Sora's second monster, one of his ace's, then appeared with a wicked cackle.

"Two fusion summons?" Eric said in surprise.

"Two?" Sora responded, holding up a spell card. "I was thinking more three. I play Frightfur Fusion. With it, I can fusion summon a Frightfur monster by banishing monsters on my field or in my graveyard. Like so. I fuse my Edge Imp Sabers with Frightfur Bear and Frightfur Owl!"

Sora's three fusion monster then appeared and began to fuse together.

"Edge of Sharpness." said Sora. "Wings of an Owl, and Fury of Bear. Let's welcome a monster, that's sure to scare! I fusion summon, Frightfur Tiger!"

Sora's new monster then sprang in, giving off a mischievous chuckle.

"Big whoop." said Stacy. "None of your little furballs can beat my Dragon Master Knight."

"I beg to differ." said Sora. "Cause, when Tiger is summoned, I can destroy cards up to the number of monsters I used to fusion summon him. That means your Dragon Master Knight and Marauding Captain go bye bye."

Frightfur Tiger then launched several blasts from it's open chest, destroying Dragon Master Knight and Marauding Captain.

"No!" said Stacy.

"It gets worse." said Sora. "See, Frightfur Tiger increases the attack of all Frightfur Monsters on the field by 300 times the number of Fluffal and Frightfur monsters on my field. Since I control three, that's 900 more attack points for my monsters."

Sora's Frightfur monsters then got bigger as their attack power increased.

"Get her boys." said Sora. "Attack!"

All of Sora's monsters then attack, winning him the duel.

"Spectacular." said Eric as the action field disappeared. "What a duel!"

"Yeah, but your not getting your contract." said Sora. "Remember our deal?"

"Of course." said Eric. "But I have another one for ya. Give me a week and I'll bring you a new duelist. Same rules apply for this duel. Whaddya say?"

"Why not." Sora shrugged. "I could use some better competition."

"Splendid." said Eric, shaking Sora's hand. "See you then."

Eric then left with a dejected Stacy.

* * *

It had now been a week since Yuya and Sylvio started their training and they were currently running an obstacle course that Henshuta built. The master observed them, calmly sipping tea as they dodged and ducked everything that came their way. Due to their previous experience as dueltainers, Yuya and Sylvio were able to keep up. However, it was still a chore, as the obstacles came one after the next seemingly without end. Logs, tripwires, barbed wire, water, mud, everything was thrown at them. The two of them finally finished, covered with sweat, mud, and dirt.

"Not bad boys." said Henshuta. "But not good. You should have been a little faster."

"Faster?" Sylvio said, panting.

"Sure." said Henshuta. "Your time was about two minutes. I've had students go through there in under a minute on their first try."

"Wow." Yuya panted. "That's...pretty good…"

"Oh yeah?" Sylvio asked. "How long does it take you, huh?"

Henshuta chuckled at this, put down his tea, turned on his stopwatch and ran into the obstacle course. Yuya and Sylvio watched as he flawlessly got through, dodging and getting past every obstacle with ease. He then ran back to the table and checked the stopwatch.

"Bah." He said. "Thirty-five seconds. A hair over my usual time. I'm getting old."

"Well, you've had years of practice." said Sylvio. "How can you expect us to get through that fast?"

"Oh, you'll get there." said Henshuta. "Just give it time."

"Grr." said Sylvio. "This is ridiculous. What's even the point?"

"Remember my rules." said Henshuta. "No-"

"I don't care about your rules!" Sylvio interrupted.

"Sylvio." said Yuya.

"Butt out Yuya." said Sylvio. He then turned back to Henshuta. "Your supposed to be teaching us about dueling! Well, all I've been learning is how to run a marathon, be a housekeeper, and what happens when you drop a bucket! What does this have to do with dueling? Huh?"

Henshuta did not flinch at Sylvio's outburst. He instead turned to Yuya.

"I see your friend is getting frustrated." said Henshuta. "Tell me Yuya, do you feel the same?"

"Well…" said Yuya. "...I don't. I may not understand what's going on, but I'm...willing to trust your teaching."

"Hm." said Henshuta. "How disappointing."

"What?" Sylvio asked. "That we're questioning your training?"

"No, no." said Henshuta. "That Yuya does not wish to express the same emotions that you are Sylvio."

"Huh?" Sylvio and Yuya asked together.

"Nevermind." said Henshuta. "I respect your feelings, but I'm afraid that is all I will say on the matter. We need to finish your training. Now then, on to the next task."

Henshuta then beckoned them back into the temple. Sylvio and Yuya followed, with Sylvio grumbling the whole way.

* * *

It was early morning now and Sylvio silently began to pack his things. Yuya was still fast asleep and Sylvio wanted it to stay that way. He figured Yuya would try to stop him and he didn't want that to happen.

Sylvio was done. He was leaving. This training was nothing but a joke. He already wanted to quit dueling and this training was not helping change his opinion.

 _It's better off this way._ Sylvio thought.

He finally finished packing and quietly began to creep out. He wouldn't bother looking for his deck, as he no longer needed it.

He was about to leave when he heard a sound that caught his attention. It was someone humming in a room nearby, followed by a snipping sound. It didn't sound like Henshuta. It sounded like a girl.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Sylvio followed the source of the noise. He opened the door to a room he had never been in, which is where the noise was coming from. For a second, he thought he was outside. He then realized that the room was filled with tiny trees. Some of the trees where all bushy and full of branches and leaves. Other trees were in beautiful patterns.

Though he didn't understand why, Sylvio felt at ease looking at the trees. They were so simple, yet so lovely. He then found the source of the noise. There was a girl in the room about his age. Her long black hair was tied up in the back by a hair clip shaped like a dragon. She wore a long, snow white kimono that was tied up by a red belt. Like Henshuta, she wore wooden sandals. She was humming to herself as she clipped one of the tiny trees, he bright green eyes fixated on her work.

"Um, hello." said Sylvio.

"Oh, good morning." the girl said pleasantly, turning to Sylvio. "You must be one of grandpa's new students."

"Um, grandpa?" Sylvio asked.

"Mm-hm." said the girl. "Master Henshuta is my grandpa. I'm his granddaughter, Kiori."

"Nice to meet you Kiori." said Sylvio, entering the room.

"Wait." said Kiori, looking Sylvio over. "I...I know you."

"You do?" Sylvio asked, confused.

"Yes!" Kiori said excitedly. "Your Sylvio Sawatori! I watched you in the Arc-League championship!"

"Ah yes." said Sylvio. "My spectacular loss."

"You were amazing!" said Kiori. "I just wish I could've seen it in person."

"Hmph." Sylvio snorted. "You would have gotten the same result."

"You seem sad about it." said Kiori.

"Wouldn't you be disappointed if you lost?" Sylvio asked.

"Well, yes." said Kiori. "But if the duel was as fun as it looked, it wouldn't have mattered."

"I used to think like that." Sylvio sighed.

"What happened?" Kiori asked.

"It's nothing." said Sylvio. "Tell me, what are these trees?"

"They're called Bonsai Trees." said Kiori. "They're small trees that gardeners have to create and shape their own trees. Your welcome to try one if you'd like."

"I don't know." said Sylvio. "I'm not sure how."

"There's no wrong way to do it." Kiori smiled, holding a pair of clippers out for Sylvio. "Just follow your instincts and give it a try."

Sylvio still hesitated, but decided to take the clippers. He then got himself an unused tree and sat next to Kiori.

The two sat in silence for what felt like ages, fixated on their work. Sylvio was almost done with his own tree. To his surprise, he found it quite relaxing, just sitting there and watching as the tree took shape.

The door to the room then slid open. Sylvio and Kiori turned to see Henshuta walk in.

"Well, my dear Kiori." said Henshuta. "When did you get here?"

"Last night." said Kiori. "I didn't wish to disturb you, so I was quiet grandpa."

"Oh, I wouldn't have minded." said Henshuta, patting Kiori on the head. "I presume Sylvio has introduced himself?"

"Oh yes." said Kiori. "We've been working on Bonsai Trees."

"So I see." said Henshuta, looking over Sylvio's tree. "Not bad for your first try. It's a beautiful tree."

"Thanks." said Sylvio.

"Now then." said Henshuta. "I believe that we still have some training today. You'd better get some breakfast Sylvio."

"Yes sir." said Sylvio.

Sylvio then got up and grabbed his bag, walking back to his room. He then found himself putting it back and joining Yuya for breakfast. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he wanted to stay.

* * *

Yuya and Sylvio were really put through the ringer today. They were doing some gardening and helping with moving crates today. The crates felt like they weighed a ton and the day was hot as the sun shone above them while they watered the plants.

Yuya wanted to pour some water over himself, but Henshuta specifically instructed him not to. He was only allowed to drink a small canteen of water that was given to him by Henshuta. Yuya was getting hot and tired, ready for a cold bath.

Thankfully, Henshuta and a girl named Kiori were helping hem. Sylvio said Kiori was Henshuta's granddaughter and she was here to help with training. Yuya could tell that Kiori was an excellent gardener as she helped him with the plants.

"Lunch break." said Henshuta around 1:30 in the afternoon.

Yuya and Sylvio panted in exhaustion as Kiori came out with sandwiches and lemonade.

"Thanks." said Yuya.

"Thank you." said Sylvio.

"My pleasure." Kiori smiled pleasantly.

"Excellent work today boys." said Henshuta, eating a sandwich. "Sylvio, if we finish within the hour, you can have the rest of the day off."

"Really?" Sylvio asked. "Well, thank you master."

"Wait, what about me?" Yuya asked.

"Oh, I have a few more chores for you." said Henshuta. "The wall needs a new coat of paint. I think today will be a good start."

"But-" Yuya said.

"That isn't a problem, is it?" Henshuta asked.

"No...no master." said Yuya.

Henshuta sighed, as if he was disappointed by the answer.

"Good show." said Henshuta, patting Yuya on the shoulder.

"What's with him?" Yuto asked, materializing next to Yuya.

"Forget him." said Yugo. "What's with you, Yuya? Sylvio gets a free ride and you still gotta work all day. Yuya, why didn't you say something?"

"I'm actually with Yugo on this one." said Yuri. "Especially cause it looked like he wanted you to say something."

"I'm not protesting." Yuya said to them. "If this is what it takes to be a great duelist, then I'll do whatever he asks, whether I like it or not."

"If you're sure." said Yuri. "Though I don't envy your face once the day ends. Your not exactly a painter after all."


	9. Chapter 9

Episode 9

In a dorm room of the Fortune Prep School in the middle of the night, a student named Aura Sentia was working on a prediction. Aura is a fair-skinned young girl of low height with long curly red hair with a purple ribbon tied on top of her head and bright-green eyes. She wears a mostly purple flowing dress, and what appears to be a white blouse underneath, with a pink ribbon on her collar and a yellow coin-shaped pendant. She wears a pair of white socks and what appear to be brown sandals. Beside her was a crystal apple.

"Now then, let's see what I draw next." said Aura, using Arcana Force monsters to predict her future.

She was about to draw the next card when a blood-curdling scream was heard. It sounded like it came from her headmistresses office. Aura and several other students burst out of their rooms and ran towards the source of the noise. They opened the door to find their headmistress, Madame Divina, in a cold, frightened sweat.

"Headmistress." said Aura. "What's wrong?"

"A vision." said Madame Divina. "A vision most foul."

"What vision?" a student asked. "What did you see."

Divina did not answer at first. She simply sat there in fear and shock. She then turned to her students.

"Declan Akaba." said Madame Divina. "I must speak with Declan Akaba."

* * *

"Alrighty Frightfur Tiger." said Sora. "Attack Gong's Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei!"

"Don't think so." said Gong. "Gong discards Superheavy Samurai Soulfire Suit to protect Big Benkei. Now Benkei can't be destroyed in battle this turn, but his defense is lowered by 800 everytime this happens."

Frightfur Daredevil slashed into Big Benkei, but Benkei shook it off. It's defense was then lowered to 2700.

"Fine by me." said Sora. "I play the trap, Frightfur Frenzy. When a Frightfur Monster attacks this turn while I control three or more Frightfur fusion monsters, I can inflict damage even when your monster is in defense mode. So, Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, attack!"

Frightfur Sabre-Tooth bit into Big Benkei, weakening the monster and Gong's life points. They dropped from 3200 to 2700. Benkei's defense then lowered to 1900.

"Then, thanks to Frightfur Wolf's ability." said Sora. "He can attack the same number of times equal to the monsters used to fusion summon him. That means he can attack three times."

Sora's Wolf then went on the charge. It hit Benkei hard, lowering Gong's life points to 1300 and Big Benkie to 1100. Gong's monster panted in exhaustion as Frightfur Wolf let loose the coup de grace. With it's final attack, Gong's life points dropped to zero, winning the duel for Sora.

"Not bad Sora." said Gong. "Gong didn't see that trap coming."

"You did pretty good too Gong." said Sora.

"Would've been a different story though if Gong could synchro summon." said Gong. "But Gong couldn't draw a single tuner monster."

Gong then looked through his deck and frowned.

"Well that's rotten luck." said Sora, looking at the deck too. "ALL of your tuners were at the bottom of your deck."

"You gotta be kidding Gong." said Gong.

"Good work as always boys." said Skip. He then addressed a crowd of kids who were watching the duel. "I do hope that demonstrates some of the potential you can find here at the You Show Duel School?"

The tour cheered in excitement having enjoyed the duel.

"We want to see more." a young boy said.

"Certainly." said Skip. "Gong, Sora, up for another duel?"

"Like you even needed to ask." said Sora.

"Gong's up for a rematch." said Gong.

The doors then opened and Eric Samson stepped in. He was joined by the guy who had attacked Gong.

"Hello." Eric said pleasantly. "Why, it seems you have company."

"A school tour." said Skip. "We're scouting potential students."

"Oh?" said Eric. "And you're using two people who aren't even students here?"

"Wait, those two aren't students here?" a mother asked Skip.

"Sora is a former student." said Skip. "And Gong may not be registered here, but he comes here as often as any other student. He's just as dedicated as well."

"I suppose that's beside the point." said Eric. "Now then, I believe I still have an arrangement with Mr. Sora."

"Got a better opponent?" Sora asked.

"Name's Reggie." the guy said.

"Gong recognizes you." said Gong. "You tried to get the drop on Gong in a duel a few nights back."

"Afraid I don't know what your talking about." Reggie said. "This guy, Samson, just hired me today."

"Heh." said Gong. "Right and Gong's a Winged Kuriboh."

"Alright, alright." said Skip. "Let's get down to business."

"Observe kiddies." said Eric. "I'm a manager for professional duelists and I'm about to hire a possible duelist."

"Ooooohh." the kids said.

Sora and Reggie then entered the duel field, ready to do battle.

* * *

"Alright boys." said Henshuta. "Time for a new part of your training."

"Yes sir." said Yuya and Sylvio.

Yuya and Sylvio were currently in the dojo of the temple after a full day of training. There were all sorts of martial arts equipment, training dummies, punching bags, and other objects the boys have never seen before. There were also a group of wooden statues of many different monsters.

"Now, I can tell you two are getting frustrated with my training." said Henshuta. "Understandable, but necessary I assure you. So, in your freetime, I want you two to do something for me."

"What's that?" Sylvio asked.

"For you Sylvio." said Henshuta. "I want you to continue making Bonsai trees with Kiori."

"Yes master." said Sylvio.

"Yuya." said Henshuta. "Whenever you get frustrated, come in here. I want to see you train, specifically with this punching bag."

Henshuta then pointed at a red punching bag to his left.

"Um, ok." said Yuya.

"You each can do those activities whenever you have free time." said Henshuta. "You can also do so while we are training. However, if it is during my training, you may only do it for once a day and only an hour during that time. Also, you may only do that SPECIFIC activity and nothing else. Are we clear?"

"Yes master." said Sylvio and Yuya.

"Good." Henshuta smiled. "I hope to see some splendid results. Yuya, kindly give the punching bag a try."

"Oh, yes sir." said Yuya.

Yuya tentatively approached the punching bag and took a swing. The punching bag was fairly soft. It didn't move much though, since Yuya didn't put a lot of power into his punch.

"Hm." said Henshuta. "I certainly hope to see improvement. That's it for today boys. Go and get some rest."

"Yes master." Yuya and Sylvio bowed.

The two of them went to their rooms while Henshuta remained in the dojo.

"Wonder what all of this is about?" Sylvio asked.

"I kinda understand with you." said Yuya. "You did tell him how frustrated you were with the training. But why does he think I'm getting tired of it?"

"Are you?" Sylvio asked.

"I mean, it's not what I was expecting." said Yuya. "But, I've been fine with it."

"He has been pushing you harder lately come to think of it." said Sylvio.

"I guess." said Yuya.

"Well, we better do what he says." said Sylvio. "I just wish you could join me for making Bonsai trees. It's actually rather enjoyable."

"Yeah." said Yuya.

* * *

"Let's duel!" said Sora and Reggie once the Action Field: Prison Tower of Darkville activated.

"I'll go first." said Reggie. "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands."

Reggie's monster appeared, a slime like creature with hands moving all over it's body.

"It's special ability then activates." said Reggie. "Letting me add a ritual monster or spell card from my deck to my hand. I choose Ritual of Destruction."

Reggie's duel disk then pushed the card out, allowing him to add it to his hand.

"I then play two face-downs and end my turn." said Reggie.

"My turn then." said Sora. "I draw! I summon Edge Imp Saw."

Sora's monster appeared, buzzing loudly at it's opponent.

"I then play it's special ability." said Sora. "When he's summoned, I discard a Fluffal monster to draw two cards. I discard Patchwork Fluffal."

Sora discards his monster and then draws two new cards.

"I then play Polymerization." said Sora. "And use it to fuse Fluffal Leo with Edge Imp Saw."

Sora's monster then came together as they swirled into one creature.

"Sharpened steel." said Sora. "And ruler of the jungle. When the two come together, prepare to rumble. I fusion summon, Frightfur Leo!"

With a roar like steel, Sora's new monster appeared, facing down Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands.

"I play Leo's special ability." said Sora. "See, I can destroy a monster you control, then hit you for damage equal to it's attack."

"Not quite." Reggie smiled. "I play the spell, De-Fusion!"

"Uh-oh." said Sora.

"With this spell." said Reggie. "I can take a fusion monster on the field and return it to the extra deck. Then, the monster used to fusion summon it are brought to the field instead."

Frightfur Leo then disappeared as Fluffal Leo and Edge Imp Saw took it's place.

"I then play the trap, Summon Restriction." said Reggie. "This trap prevents you from playing more than one summoning method of my choice more than once per turn. So you can't fusion summon again this turn."

"Fine." said Sora. "Then I attack with Fluffal Leo. And when he attacks, he gains 500 atk points."

Fluffal Leo then charged Manju, raising it's atk points to 2100. It pounced and destroyed Manju, lowering Reggie's life points to 3300.

"Edge Imp Saw then attacks." said Sora.

The saw spun and sliced at Reggie. Reggie yelped in pain as his life points lowered to 2800.

"I then play two face-downs and end my turn." said Sora. "Your move."

"I draw." said Reggie. "Heh. I play, Ritual of Destruction. I then tribute Djinn, Demolisher of Rituals and Djinn Presider of Rituals from my hand."

An altar then appeared behind Reggie. His monsters were offered to the altar as chains shot out at them. The monsters then got consumed by dark smoke as the chains brought them together. A new monster then began to form from the dark smoke.

"I ritual summon." said Reggie. "Garlandolf, King of Destruction!"

Reggie's monster then appeared with a mighty roar, staring down the field.

"Garlandolf's ability activates." said Reggie. "When he's ritual summoned, he destroys every monster on your field with less atk points than him and then gains 100 atk points for each one."

A ball of dark energy then surges from Garlandolf's hand and is then thrown at Sora's field. The dark energy destroys Fluffal Leo and Edge Imp Saw.

"I then activate the effect of Ritual of Destruction in my graveyard." said Reggie. "By removing it from play, the monsters that were just destroyed are instead sent to the top of your deck."

"I then play Fluffal Crane." said Sora. "When a Fluffal monster on my field is destroyed, I can put it back in my hand and then draw one card."

Sora took Fluffal Leo back to his hand, drew a card, then put Edge Imp Saw at the top of his deck as Garlandolf's atk was raised to 2500.

"Attack!" said Reggie.

"I play the trap, Sakuretsu Armor!" said Sora, revealing one of his face-downs.

"Not a chance." Reggie smirked. "Since I used Demolisher of Rituals as a tribute for a ritual summon, Garlandolf's can't be targeted by your card effects."

Sora then frantically searched for an action card, dodging Garlandolf's assault. Reggie followed suit, trying to find an action card to counter him. Sora grabbed one just as Reggie did.

"I play Evasion." said Sora. "This negates your attack, keeping my life points safe."

"Then I play the Action Spell, Battle Burner." said Reggie. "That means I can attack again!"

Garlandolf then launches another assault. Sora tries to search for another action card, but Reggie picks up another one close by.

"Don't bother." said Reggie. "I play Action Crush. Now, anytime either one of us grabs an action card, it'll be destroyed this turn."

"Grrr." said Sora, stopping and taking the attack.

Sora was sent flying as his life points lowered to 1500.

"Oh no." said Tate. "So Sora can't counter with any traps against Garlandolf?"

"Not just traps." said Saya. "Garlandolf can't be targeted by any card effect. Even if Sora used a monster like his Frightfur Tiger, Garlandolf would be safe."

"Plus, Sora can't fusion summon more than once a turn." said Skip. "Not as long as Summon Restriction is one the field."

"Heh, take that kid." said Reggie. "I end my turn there."

"Then it's my go. I draw." said Sora, re-drawing Edge Imp Saw. "I then summon Edge Imp Saw once more. I use it to discard Fluffal Leo to draw two cards."

Fluffal Leo is then discarded as Sora draws two new cards.

"I then set my Pendulum Scale." said Sora. "With my scale one Edge Imp Cotton Eater and my scale eight Fluffal Angel."

"Pendulum Scale?" Zuzu asked in surprise. "When did Sora get pendulum monsters?"

Sora set his pendulum monsters, which lit up the duel disk with the word PENDULUM.

"I pendulum summon!" said Sora. "Come on out Fluffal Dog and Fluffal Owl!"

Sora's new monsters then appeared, with a bark and a hoot.

"I then activate their effects." said Sora. "Fluffal Dog let's me add Edge Imp Sabres to my hand, while Fluffal Owl let's me add Polymerization to me hand. I then play Polymerization to fuse Edge Imp Sabres with Fluffal Dog."

Sora's monsters then came together in a swirl of yellow and purple.

"Edge of Sharpness and a Dog's Bite." Sora said. "Together they're sure, to give you a fright. I fusion summon! Frightfur Tiger!"

With a wicked cackle, Frightur Tiger appeared.

"Cotton Eater's effect then activates." said Sora. "Letting me draw one card from my deck when a monster is fusion summoned."

Sora drew his card, which was Frightfur Sanctuary.

"Tiger's effect then activates." said Sora. "I can destroy cards up to the number of monster used for it's fusion summon."

"How pointless." said Reggie. "Garlandolf can't be destroyed by your card effects, remember?"

"Who said I was aiming for Garlandolf?" Sora smiled. "I'm taking down your Summon Restriction."

Reggie's trap was then destroyed.

"I then play Frightfur Sanctuary." said Sora. "I discard one card, along with two Frightfur monsters in my Extra Deck. I'll go with Frightfur Bear and Leo."

The monsters are then sent to Sora's graveyard.

"I then use Owl's effect." said Sora. "By paying 500 life points, I fuse it with Frightfur Tiger."

Sora's life points then lowered to 1000 as his monsters began to form together.

"Wings of an Owl." said Sora. "Sharpened steel and a Tigers Claws. Bring out a monster that deserves thunderous applause! I fusion summon, Frightfur Sabre-Tooth!"

Sora's monster appeared with a ferocious roar, ready to attack.

"When Frightfur Sabre-Tooth is summoned." said Sora. "He can bring back a Frightfur Fusion monster in my graveyard. I'll bring back Frightfur Tiger."

Sora's tiger then returned, joining his Sabre-Tooth.

"Y'know." said Sora. "They say three is a crowd, but I think I need a crowd. For that, I play Fluffal Angel's effect. This allows me to special summon a Fluffal or Edge Imp monster from my graveyard. I summon Patchwork Fluffal!"

Patchwork Fluffal, a teddy bear with stitches all over it's body, then appeared from the graveyard.

"I then play Frightfur Fusion." said Sora. "I can use it to fusion summon a Frightfur monster by banishing fusion material from my field and graveyard. Plus, while Patchwork Fluffal is on the field, he can be treated as a Frightfur Monster."

Sora's Patchwork Fluffal, Frightfur Bear, and Frightfur Leo then began to swirl together.

"Fury of Bear." said Sora. "Patchwork of Fluff, King of the Jungle! They all come together, ready for a rumble! I fusion summon, Frightfur Chimera!"

Sora's strongest monster then appeared, a jangle of stuffed animals and other toys.

"Now then, time to do some math." said Sora. "Frightfur Tiger raises the atk of all Frightfur monsters by 300 for each one, Sabre-Tooth does the same, except he raises the atk by 400, and Cotton Eater gives my fusion monsters 300 atk points. Add it all up and you get a grand total boost of…"

"2400!" said Reggie.

Sora's monsters then grew in size from their attack boost. Tiger now had 4300 atk points, Sabre-Tooth had 4800, and Chimera had 5200.

"Ok Chimera." said Sora. "Take out Garlandolf!"

Chimera then launched a missile from it's mouth as Reggie went for an action card.

"I wouldn't bother." said Sora. "Cause when Chimera attacks, you can't activate cards or effects."

The missile then hit and destroyed Garlandolf, lowering Reggie's life points to 100.

"Chimera's effect then activates." said Sora. "I special summon the monster it destroyed to my side of the field with half of it's attack points. Come join me, Garlandolf."

Garlandolf then appeared on Sora's field with 1200 atk points.

"Now, Garlandolf." said Sora. "Take out Reggie."

Once again, Reggie searched for an action card. Sora got ahead of him though.

"Go Action Crush." said Sora, playing the spell. "I think you know what that means."

"Yeah." said Reggie as Garlandolf's attack got closer. "I'm done."

The attack connected, winning Sora the duel.

"Another one bites the dust." Sora said proudly. "Sorry Mr. Samson. Looks like the deal is off."

"Hmph." said Eric. "No matter. C'mon Reggie."

Eric then left the school with Reggie as the tour cheered in excitement.

* * *

After another full day of training, Yuya layed down on his mat, exhausted. Henshuta was pushing him to the utter limit. Yuya found that he was doing most of the bigger stuff for training while Sylvio seemed to be getting the simpler jobs. For example, when they did the obstacle course today, Sylvio could take as much time as he needed while Yuya had to to do it in under a minute. He eventually did, but it took him an hour to finally do so. Not only that, but Henshuta only gave Yuya a few minutes to eat while Sylvio got to spend twice as much time.

Yuya was wondering what was going on. Was Henshuta showing favoritism? Did he think Sylvio was done with his training but Yuya needed to be pushed farther? Yuya couldn't see why. They had been putting in the same amount of work up until today. And Yuya couldn't ask questions, so there was no way of finding out.

"Man, today was ridiculous." said Yugo.

"Oh please." said Yuri. "I went through far tougher days back at the Academy."

"Everything good Yuya?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah." said Yuya. "Just tired."

"Well, you still gotta do some work in the dojo." said Yuri.

"Ah, man." said Yugo.

"Not tonight." said Yuya.

"Yuya, you were asked to." said Yuto.

"I don't need to let out my anger." said Yuya. "I can keep it in check just fine."

"Bottling it up isn't a good idea." said Yuri.

"I'm with Yuri." said Yuto. "Yuya, that kind of training is a good way to let it out."

"Guys, I can't." said Yuya.

"Why?" Yuto and Yuri said together.

"I know why." said Yugo. "Zarc, right?"

"Yeah." said Yuya. "I don't want to go down the same path that Zarc did."

"But you won't." said Yuto.

"Your right I won't." said Yuya. "Not if I keep my emotions in check and make everyone happy."

The door to the room then opened as Sylvio walked in with a Bonsai tree, humming merrily to himself.

"Your in a good mood." said Yuya.

"Oh, just had a good afternoon." said Sylvio. "Made this wonderful tree, got some praise from Henshuta about my progress, and spent some time with that lovely Kiori. Ah, the way she talks about gardening so passionately, it's amazing."

"Yeah, I guess." said Yuya.

"Everything alright friend?" Sylvio asked.

"Don't worry." Yuya smiled. "I'm fine."

"Ok." said Sylvio. "Hey, let me teach you how to make a Bonsai tree. Maybe Master Henshuta will let you do one at some point."

"Sure." said Yuya. "Show me the ropes, teach."

* * *

A limousine stopped outside the Fortune Prep School as a man in a suit got out and opened the door to the back. Declan Akaba then stepped out, thanked the driver, and walked into the school.

The halls were dark and lit with lanterns. Students passed by holding crystal balls and school things, muttering to themselves. Some greeted Declan with a hello or a nod, but most were wrapped up with where they were going to pay him any mind. Declan then found his way to the headmistresses office and entered.

"Welcome." said Madame Divina. "I'm glad you could come Declan."

"What is this about?" Declan asked.

"A vision." said Madame Divina. "And it concerns you."

"Does it now?" Declan asked. "What is this vision?"

"I had a vision last night." said Madame Divina. "A vision of a mighty beast rising over a village. The beast bore sharp fangs and claws like spears. The villagers screamed in terror, running for their lives. They were powerless to stop the creature as it began to destroy the village. Suddenly, something came over the horizon."

"Another creature?" Declan asked.

"No." said Madame Divina. "A small army. Among this army were many warriors, warriors that did not come from the village. This army was led by a group of knights. These nights were protectors of the village. And all of the knights had one thing in common, their weapons. I suppose you can guess what their weapons were?"

"Lances." said Declan immediately.

"Yes." said Madame Divina. "The knights and the warriors readied their weapons and charged the beast. The creature ran towards them, ready to destroy them. There was a clash and then everything went white."

"Interesting." said Declan. "What do you make of this vision?"

"I know not what it truly means." said Madame Divina. "But I sense it is a sign. A sign that your Lancers may be needed again."

"You said there were other warriors." said Declan. "Were they Lancers as well?"

"No." said Madame Divina. "I do not believe so. I believe they were allies. Allies from somewhere else. There is more though. The group of knights was large. Right now, you only have eight, including yourself. There were more knights than that."

"How many?" Declan asked.

"I know not." said Madame Divina. "But I believe it a sign. A sign that you may need to gather more allies."

"This monster you spoke of." said Declan. "What did it look like?"

"It had no clear shape." said Madame Divina. "But it was powerful. Very powerful. It left nothing but destruction in its path."

Declan took this all in. He then got up and thanked Madame Divina for her time. He left the school, where his limo was still waiting out front. Once he got inside, he called Claude on his duel disk.

"Sir?" said Claude.

"Give Moon Shadow a call." said Declan. "We may need some assistance."


	10. Chapter 10

Episode 10: The First Strike

Henshuta observed as Yuya and Sylvio finished their task for the day. They were training underneath a waterfall, waiting as Kiori sent down petals. The trick was for them to catch the petals before they landed.

The two of them were doing fairly well. They remained as relaxed and focused as they could, grabbing the petals with relative ease. However, they certainly missed a few, as the pond they were in was littered with the petals.

"That's enough for today boys." said Henshuta. "Excellent work."

Yuya and Sylvio got out of the waterfall and began to dry off. Kiori handed them towels as Henshuta approached.

"Once your all dry, come see me in the dojo." said Henshuta. "I'd like to talk to you boys about something."

The boys nodded and Henshuta left. He then sat in the dojo and meditated, awaiting for his students to arrive. The two of them walked in and sat across from Henshuta.

"You've been here a few weeks now." said Henshuta. "And have both been working very hard. Sylvio, you have shown great improvement since you got here and I'm grateful for that. Yuya, I feel as if you need to improve much more."

"Yes sir." Yuya said dejectedly.

In truth, Yuya had been falling behind on the task that Henshuta had assigned him. Henshuta noticed plenty of times during the training where Yuya seemed drained and bothered, yet Yuya did nothing. He had a feeling he knew why the boy was not doing what he asked. After all, Declan had told him of Yuya's past.

"So." said Henshuta."I think it is time to perform the Kokoro e no tabi"

"The what now?" Sylvio asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Kokoro e no tabi." said Henshuta. "It means Journey of the Mind. I'm going to put you two in a sort of hypnosis. In this state, you will go on a test of self discovery. What that test is, only your mind will know. If you pass this test, you will grow stronger as a person."

"Well, ok." said Yuya. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow." said Henshuta. "Bright and early. Alright, that is all. Get some rest."

"Yes master." the boy said together.

They then bowed to Henshuta and left the room.

 _I hope they are ready._ Henshuta thought. _This task is not for the faint of heart._

* * *

It was late at night and Eric was conspiring with Stacy and Reggie.

"Well those You Show kids were a bust." said Reggie.

"And so far, the Leo Institute been kicking our butts too." said Stacy.

"We'll just have to keep at it." Eric smiled.

"I just got one question." Stacy said.

"Ask away." Eric said.

"Why not sign us up on the professional circuit?" Stacy asked indignantly.

"Yeah boss." said Reggie. "We could represent ya!"

"Now, now." Eric said. "We talked about this."

Eric then took out a blue orb. The orb shined brightly, reflecting in Reggie and Stacy's eyes. They went blank for second, then the orb stopped shining as the two shook their heads.

"What were we talkin about again?" Stacy asked.

"I dunno." said Reggie. "What was it boss?"

"Nothing important." said Eric. "Now then-"

However, he was interrupted as two people in cloaks suddenly materialized in front of them. Reggie and Stacy jumped in shock while Eric remained unfazed.

One person was completely covered in the cloak. The only thing that could be seen was a pair of bright red eyes and gray, scaly hands. The other person was more visible, as the black cloak only covered the top part of his face and backside. The other person had white and blue robes. His outfit also included a foot length cloak which trailed behind him, padded shoulders, cuffed wrists, a raised collar and a green stone that bore a symbol around his neck. The other person had light blue hair that featured a two locked fringe and trailed to near knee length and was tied at waist length.

"Well, well." said Eric. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Boss." said Reggie. "You know these guys?"

Eric's blue orb then shined again. Reggie and Stacy stared at it, then fell down, unconscious.

"Interesting choice of help Mr. Samson." said the blue haired man. "Or should I call you, Heartland?"

Eric then suddenly burst into bright light. When the light dissipated, he changed. His appearance became that of a man in a black suit which covers a yellow shirt. He also sported a pair of stylish orange glasses with a crimson "V" shape (similar to a heart) in the center. His hair is green with a lighter green fringe. He also wore white gloves and sported a cane with the blue orb on top.

"Ugh, don't blow my cover." Eric whined. His voice even changed, from smooth and silky, to smug and drawling.

"What cover?" the blue haired man asked. "I rather doubt anyone knows you here."

"Keep in mind." said Eric, who was also known as Heartland. "That the XYZ dimension is similar to my own dimension. I've even met another me. And boy, was he a bore. If people notice me, then questions may be asked."

"Whatever." the blue haired man said, rolling his eyes. "What is your progress Heartland?"

"I've finished testing out those You Show students." said Heartland. "But that Yuya fellow wasn't around. I'm currently scouting out the Leo Institute to see if we have any potential threats."

"And the duel energy?" the blue haired man asked. "How potent has it been?"

"Potent?" Heartland chuckled. "You could practically cut it with a buzzsaw."

"Good." said the blue haired man. "That means our time won't be wasted. Now then, time to complete my task."

"What task?" Heartland asked.

"The master sent me here for the soul of Zarc." said the blue haired man. "Perhaps you can direct me to it?"

"I don't know for sure." said Heartland. "But I presume it's somewhere in the Leo Institute. I haven't had the chance to snoop around yet."

"I see." said the blue haired man. "Then perhaps the soul of Ray will do for now. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure thing." Heartland smiled. His blue orb then shined as the face of Zuzu is seen in it. "Ray Akaba has been reincarnated as Zuzu Boyle, a resident of this dimension. Though she's not as acclimated with her abilities as Yuya Sakaki is as far as I know."

"Excellent." said the blue haired man, who turned to the other hooded figure. "Find Zuzu Boyle. Defeat her and claim the power of Ray Akaba."

"Yes master." the hooded figure bowed.

The hooded figure then swiftly bounded off as the blue haired man and Heartland watched on.

"I suppose I better get back to work." said Heartland, changing back into Eric. "I'll keep you posted."

"See to it that you do." said the blue haired man. "The master will be most displeased if we don't yield results."

"I still don't get why I always get the simple jobs." Eric/Heartland whined.

"Your a simple man Heartland." the blue haired man scoffed. "Simple people deserve simple jobs. Plus, if you were a more competent duelist, you'd probably have higher respect."

"Oh poo." said Eric/Heartland. "I can duel circles around most people in these dimensions."

"I'll be interested in seeing you back that up at some point." said the blue haired man. "I bid you adieu until then."

The blue haired man disappeared as Eric revived his cronies.

"What?" Reggie said in a daze. "What happened?"

"Must've been out late last night." Eric smiled. "You guys passed out during our meeting."

"Sorry boss." said Stacy.

"No trouble." said Eric. "Now then, back to business."

* * *

It was late at night and Zuzu was walking home. She was in the school choir and the rehearsal went extra long tonight, mostly because one of the new members couldn't quite hit the right note. Zuzu was tired and ready for her dad's famous sloppy joe's, a treat he promised for tonight.

Her stomach growled as she walked home. She clutched it and sighed.

"Ugh, relax." She said to herself. "We'll get some food soon."

"You better." a voice like hers said. "I can't stand the sound of an empty stomach."

Three girls then appeared. Like with Yuya, these girls were transparent and only Zuzu could see them. They also bore some resemblance to Zuzu. These girls were the spirits of Ray Akaba when her soul split and inhabited the different dimensions.

The first girl was named Lulu Obsidian. She was from the XYZ dimension and she was the younger sister of one of Zuzu's friends, Shay Obsidian. She has pink eyes, long dark purple hair which extends past her lower back even when tied up in a bow-shaped style and has shorter, lilac side tails. She secures her hair with a wing-shaped barrette and, has large, feather earrings. She wore a cream vest with an under dress that splits into three, worn out pants, brown boots, two brown belts, and a red sash on her right hip.

The girl who spoke was named Celina, who hailed from the fusion dimension. She used to go to duel academy before learning of their true motives and joining the Lancers. Celina has indigo hair tied into a ponytail with a large yellow ribbon, and green eyes. Her hair also features two light blue bangs that fall to either side of her face, similar to Zuzu. She wears a casual outfit resembling her Academy uniform, composed of a simple red jacket, a broad grey skirt, a black vest that is half unzipped over a white shirt and large black and red boots.

The last girl is Rin, who is the best friend of Yugo from the synchro dimension. She has shoulder-length aqua-green colored hair in a style vaguely similar to Yuri's with a lock of hair sticking up over the head like Yuya's. Rin's hair also has two light green sidetails in a similar style to her counterparts, and she also has orange eyes. She is fair skinned. Her jewelry consists of a pair of blue studded earrings and a black choker with a blue jewel. Rin's outfit consists of a blue and white jacket with pink pads on the shoulders and elbows, pink shorts, and white and pink boots that reach up to her thighs with pink kneepads.

"Oh relax." said Zuzu. "We'll eat soon."

"I hope so." said Lulu. "Your dad's sloppy joes are the best. Better than my brothers."

"I don't care what we eat." said Rin. "I just want something."

"Agreed." said Celina. "Especially after such a long day of rehearsal."

"Hey, Zuzu and I did most of the work tonight." said Lulu. "You two just sat around."

This was true. While not quite as good as Yuya, Zuzu has been able to merge her mind with her counterparts as well. As Zuzu and Lulu have good singing voices, the two traded off during the night to keep their voices fresh. Rin and Celina, who couldn't sing even if their life depended on it, simply sat back and watched.

"Well excuse me." said Celina.

"C'mon, enough." said Zuzu. "We'll be home soon. It's just-"

Zuzu stopped in her tracks however. She had a strange feeling that she was being watched. She quickly looked around and gasped. Atop a light post, someone in large robes with a hood on was watching her. The mysterious person then leapt down in front of her, blocking her path. He stared at her and Zuzu noticed that the only thing she could see was his eyes, which were a deep, glowing red.

"Isn't it a little early for Halloween?" Celina said snarkily.

"I don't like this." said Lulu. "Be careful Zuzu."

"Who are you?" Zuzu asked. "What do you want?"

"You who holds the power of Ray Akaba." said the hooded figure. "I will give you one chance to surrender the power willingly. If you do not comply, I shall take it by force."

"Why would I give it to you?" Zuzu said.

"That is beyond your mortal understanding." said the hooded figure. "But I take that answer as being unwilling. Very well."

A duel disk then appeared on the figure's arm. It glowed to life along with Zuzu's.

"Wait, I didn't turn it on." said Zuzu.

"Generating Action Field." a female voice said. "Crossover."

"I don't think he's giving you a choice." said Rin as blue platforms began to form all around them.

"Fine then." said Zuzu, putting her deck in her duel disk. "Let's make this quick."

"Duel!" the two of them said.

"Ladies first." said Zuzu. "I'll start by summoning Aria, the Melodious Diva."

Zuzu's monster appeared, singing a little song.

"I end my turn." said Zuzu. "Which allows Aria's effect to activate. When you don't take battle damage this turn from Aria, you lose 800 life points. Go, Resonating Wave!"

Aria then sent a beam of musical notes at the hooded figure, lowering their life points the 3200.

"Pathetic." said the hooded figure. "I draw. I'll begin by special summoning Steelswarm Cell. I can special summon it to the field while I control no monsters."

A monster then appeared. It looked like a little black beatle.

"I then play Double Summon." said the hooded figure. "Which allows me to normal and tribute summon twice this turn. I then summon Steelswarm Gatekeeper."

Steelswarm Gatekeeper appears alongside Cell. It growled at Zuzu, ready to strike.

"I then tribute Steelswarm Cell." said the hooded figure. "To summon Steelswarm Mantis."

Cell is then released to bring the hooded figure's new monster, a pitch black mantis like creature.

"Gatekeeper's effect then activates." said the hooded figure. "Allowing me to normal summon or set another Steelswarm monster this turn. I choose, Steelswarm Sting."

Another monster then appeared, a black bee like creature.

"I then use Mantis's effect." said the hooded figure. "I sacrifice 1000 life points to revive my Steelswarm Cell."

Cell then returned in defense mode, lowering the hooded figure's life points to 2200.

"Now, attack!" the hooded figure shouted.

Zuzu swiftly ran around the field, looking for an action card. She found one and played it immediately.

"I activate Big Escape!" said Zuzu. "This instantly ends the battle phase."

"Very well." said the hooded figure. "I play one card face-down, then end my turn."

"My turn then." said Zuzu. "I draw. I then play the spell Fortissimo. This card allows one of my Melodious monsters to gain 600 attack points until my next standby phase. I then summon Freya, Spirit of Victory."

Zuzu's new monster appeared, a cheerleader holding red pom poms.

"As long as I control a fairy type monster." said Zuzu. "Freya can't be targeted by attacks. Plus, Freya gives all fairy type monsters on the field an extra 400 attack points."

Freya then performed a cheering dance, raising it and Aria's attack points. Aria now had 2000 attack points while Freya had 800.

"Aria, attack!" said Zuzu. "Take out that Steelswarm Mantis with Piercing Note!"

"I think not." said the hooded figure. "I play the trap, Infestation Wave. With it, I can send Mantis back to my hand to destroy a card on your field. I'll use it to destroy Aria."

A blast of dark mist shot out of the trap, engulfing Aria. The monster screamed in alarm before being destroyed.

"I'll play two face-downs then." said Zuzu. "That ends my turn."

"Then I draw." said the hooded figure. "I now tribute my three monsters, so that I can summon Steelswarm Hercules!"

The hooded figures monster then disappeared as his new monster is summoned. It was a massive gold and black demon, with large wings and spikes and horns all over it's body.

"When I summon Hercules." said the hooded figure. "I can halve my life points to destroy every other card on the field."

Hercules let out a mighty roar as the hooded figure's life points dropped to 1100. A wave of dark energy shot out, destroying everything in its path. Zuzu's Freya cried out in pain as it was destroyed.

"Now, Hercules, attack!" said the hooded figure.

Hercules sent a blast of dark energy from it's mouth as Zuzu went looking for an action card. She managed to grab one, but not before the attack hit. Zuzu was sent flying, landing hard on the ground. Her life points then lowered to 800. The hooded figure then grabbed an action card nearby.

"I play Grand Draw." said the hooded figure. "When I inflict over 3000 points of damage, I can draw three cards."

"I play...Damage Draw." said Zuzu weakly, trying to get up. "When I'm hit for...over 2000 damage...I can draw two cards."

Zuzu slowly went to draw her two cards, but collapsed onto her hands and knees, panting slowly.

"That hurt." said Zuzu. "That really hurt."

"The damage." said Lulu, appearing next to her. "It was real."

"I could feel it." said Rin.

"This isn't good." said Celina.

"Get up and draw your cards!" the hooded figure shouted. "Unless you wish to surrender."

"She won't be surrendering." said someone to their left. "But she will be getting some assistance."

Zuzu and the hooded figure turned to see someone else standing atop a streetlamp. It was a young man dressed as a ninja. The man has blue eyes and hair, which is held in a high ponytail. His scarf, which wraps around his face like a mask, and the details on his outfit, are blue as well. The stranger ninja outfit was black and had shoulder protectors and a headband with moon symbols, as well as a katana on his back. His right arm is covered by a sleeve while his left arm, which carried his duel disk, was sleeveless.

"Moon Shadow." Zuzu said weakly.

"Stand back Zuzu." said Moon Shadow, jumping into the fray.

"This is not your concern." the hooded figure said.

"You are hurting the girl I am sworn to protect." said Moon Shadow. "As well as a dear friend. As far as I am concerned, this matter involves me as well."

Moon Shadow then activated his duel disk. When he did, a female voice said "Intrusion Penalty, 2000 life points." A jolt of electricity was then sent out. Moon Shadow groaned in pain as his life points became 2000. However, he stood tall, ready to duel.

"Very well." said the hooded man. "We will harvest your duel energy then as well. Now, let the girl draw her cards!"

Zuzu panted in exhaustion, still trying to get up.

"Zuzu, let me help you." said Lulu.

"Ok." said Zuzu.

Lulu and Zuzu then closed their eyes as they merged together. When Zuzu opened her eyes, they turned into Lulu's eyes.

"I draw!" Lulu and Zuzu said together.

"Then I play two-facedowns and end my turn." said the hooded figure. "Your move."

"Then I draw." said Moon Shadow. "I'll first play Reinforcement of the Army, allowing me to add a level four or lower warrior type monster to my hand. I'll add Twilight Ninja Kagen. I then set my pendulum scale, with scale one Twilight Ninja Jogen and scale ten Twilight Ninja Kagen."

Moon Shadow's played his card as his duel disk lit up with the word PENDULUM.

"I can now special summon monster between levels 2 and 9 at once." said Moon Shadow. "I pendulum summon!"

A portal then formed above Moon Shadow as three monsters burst from it.

"Appear, Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!" said Moon Shadow. "Twilight Ninja Getsuga the Shogun, and Twilight Ninja Shingetsu!"

Moon Shadows monsters swarmed the field, ready to attack.

"Your card's don't scare me." said hooded figure. "They are not strong enough to defeat my Hercules."

"Perhaps not alone." said Moon Shadow. "But with this spell card, they will defeat you. I play Shield & Sword. This switches the attack and defense of all monster on the field this turn."

Every monster on the field then had their attack and defense points switch. Grandmaster Sasuke now has 1000 atk, Shingetsu has 100, Getsuga has 3000, and Hercules has 0.

"Attack Hercules, Getsuga!" said Moon Shadow.

"I play the trap, Defense Draw!" said the hooded figure. "I take no damage from this battle, plus, I can draw one card."

Getsuga destroys Hercules by slicing it in half, but the hooded figure's life points remain untouched. The hooded figure then drew on card.

"Then Sasuke and Shingetsu attack." said Moon Shadow. "This will end the duel!"

"Think again." said the hooded figure. "I activate the trap, Infestation Resurgence. This not only ends the battle phase, but if a level five or higher lswarm monster was destroyed by battle this turn, I can special summon the monsters used for it's tribute summon."

Steelswarm Sting, Cell, and Gatekeeper then appeared, all in defense mode.

"I end my turn then." said Moon Shadow. "Zuzu, it's time to finish this!"

"Right." Lulu and Zuzu said together. "I draw!"

Zuzu and Lulu looked at their hand and saw a spell that Lulu would normally use. They looked at their hand and saw another card of Lulu's.

"I play the spell, Bird's Call!" said Zuzu and Lulu. "By banishing every monster in my graveyard, I can special summon a Lyrilusc monster from my deck. I choose, Lyrilusc Turquoise Wobbler!"

The monster then appeared, a young girl in a bird outfit.

"I then play Inferno Reckless Summon!" said Lulu and Zuzu. "This card allows me to special summon monster with the same name as the monster on my field!"

Two more Turquoise Wobbler's then appeared, joining their comrade.

"I then summon Lyrilusc Sapphire Swallow!" said Zuzu and Lulu.

Another monster appeared, an older girl in a bird outfit.

"Interesting." said Moon Shadow. "Unless I'm mistaken, these cards do not belong to Zuzu. They are the cards used by Lulu Obsidian."

"I overlay my four level one Lyrilusc monsters." said Zuzu and Lulu. "In order to build the overlay network!"

Her monsters then turned into orbs of green light, which burst into the air before landing in a black and yellow portal that appeared on the field. Once the four monsters were inside, a burst of lightning shot out of the portal as a new monster began to materialize.

"Birds with Brilliant Wings!" Lulu and Zuzu said together. "Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! I XYZ summon, Lyrilusc-Assembled Nightingale!"

A new monster appeared, a young woman who was half bird.

"Nightingale gains 100 atk points for each of it's overlay units." said Zuzu and Lulu. "Since it has four overlay units, it gains 400 atk points. Plus, it can attack that many times."

"It is still not enough to defeat me." said the hooded figure.

"On the contrary." said Zuzu and Lulu. "Its is, because Nightingale can attack you directly!"

The hooded figure growled in rage as Lyrilusc Assembled Nightingale launched it's attack. The hooded figure fell to his knees as his life points went down to zero, ending the duel. The field began to disappear as Zuzu's eyes returned to normal. She stumbled a bit from exhaustion, but was caught by Moon Shadow.

"Are you alright?" Moon Shadow asked.

"I'm fine." said Zuzu. "Just tired."

Moon Shadow nodded and then turned to the hooded figure. There was something strange about him, as he began to fade away.

"You have not won yet." said the hooded figure. "We are legion. The time will soon come. You will all fall to Eon."

"What nonsense are you babbling about?" Moon Shadow said fiercely.

He did not get answer as the hooded figure turned into dark mist. The mist evaporated, then disappeared.

* * *

"MY ZUZU!" Skip shouted. "MY POOR LITTLE GIRL!"

"Dad, I'm fine." said Zuzu, resting on the couch.

They had returned to Zuzu's home a few minutes ago. Moon Shadow told Skip everything that happened.

"What were you doing there anyway?" Skip asked. "You couldn't have been just walking by."

"Declan assigned me to watch over Zuzu." said Moon Shadow. "He believed she may be in danger."

"Danger of what?" Zuzu asked.

"I don't know." said Moon Shadow. "I do not believe Declan does either. However, he said it was imperative that you remain safe."

"That hooded guy." said Zuzu. "He was saying something about the soul of Ray."

"Perhaps that is what Declan was talking about." said Moon Shadow. "The soul of Ray Akaba is very strong. Otherwise, it would not have survived the split of the original dimension."

"But she didn't survive." said Zuzu. "She split into four."

"That perhaps not in tact." said Moon Shadow. "But she still survived. Through you and the other girls."

"I guess." said Zuzu.

"I must report back to Declan." said Moon Shadow. "Will you be safe on your own?"

"Yeah. Thanks Moon Shadow." said Zuzu.

"Of course my friend." said Moon Shadow, bowing to them. He then vanished right in front of their eyes.

"Are you sure your ok?" Skip asked.

"I'm ok." said Zuzu. "Just really tired."

"Well, I've got dinner ready." said Skip. "Hope that guy didn't knock out your appetite."

"Not even close." Zuzu smiled.

* * *

It was the next day and Yuya and Sylvio were following Henshuta to a room in the temple they had never seen before. The room was lit by many candles and in the center of the room were two mats. Along the walls were paintings of different people, young and old. They seemed to be at different parts of the temple.

"Welcome to our little Hall of Fame." said Henshuta. "This is where I dedicate some paintings to some of my personal favorite students."

"Yuya, look." said Sylvio, pointing at one of the paintings. "It's Declan!"

It indeed was Declan, though one much younger than the one they currently knew. The young boy seemed to be about eight. Declan also had shorter hair and purple glasses in this photo. Still, it was unmistakably the leader of the Lancers.

However, Yuya wasn't paying attention to that painting. The one he was staring at in shock had a young man doing a flashy martial arts pose. The man had messy black hair and golden eyes. It was Yusho.

"That's my dad." said Yuya.

"What?" Sylvio said in surprise.

"He never told you, eh?" Henshuta chuckled. "Yes, I taught your father. He was certainly one of the most amusing duelists I ever met. When he told me that he desired to use dueling in the way that he did, I was in shock. I had never met anyone who thought of such a thing. However, I was also impressed. He was an exceptional student too. Carefree as a bird. You remind me a bit of him Yuya."

Yuya smiled, excited to see his father up there.

 _I'll make you proud dad._ Yuya thought to himself.

"Now then." said Henshuta. "Let us begin. If you two would lie down on those mats."

Yuya and Sylvio did as they were told.

"Now, close your eyes." said Henshuta. "I'm going to put you two into a sort of trance. While in this trance, you won't be able to wake until you complete a test that your mind gives you. What that test is, I do not know. Once you have finished, you will awake. Are you ready?"

Sylvio and Yuya nodded and closed their eyes. Henshuta then began to mutter and place his fingers atop Yuya and Sylvio's foreheads. The words began to drown out as the boys got sleepier and sleepier. Eventually, the words faded altogether as they fell asleep.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Bringing in the new year with some old enemies. I'm sure you guys know who Heartland is, but let's see if anyone can guess the other guy. Now, the only question remains, how did they end up here? Guess you'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, Happy New Year all!**


	11. Chapter 11

Episode 11: The Mind's Eye, Part 1

Yuya awoke with a start. He rubbed his head, trying to remember what just happened. He remembered laying down in the dojo, hearing Henshuta mumble some sort of words, then nothing.

Yuya looked around and found himself in a city. And not just any city. It looked like a city of the future! There were many large, hi-tech looking buildings, some of which were floating in the air. Much of the city were floating islands in fact, connected by bridges.

As he walked around, Yuya saw people go about their business. There were kids playing duel monsters, adults working and walking to their jobs, and a general air of peace.

"What is this place?" Yuya asked himself. "And why does it feel so familiar? You know anything about it guys?"

Yuya was trying to ask his counterparts about the city. There was no answer.

"Uh, hello?" Yuya said. "Anyone there? Yuri? Yuto? Yugo?"

"You ok kid?" a passerby asked Yuya.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine." said Yuya casually. "Nice weather, huh?"

"Uh-huh." said the guy. "Do I know you? I feel like I've seen you before."

"I don't think so." said Yuya.

"Weird." said the guy, walking away. "You look so much like him."

"Like who?" Yuya asked.

The guy continued to walk off. Yuya shrugged and kept walking himself.

Eventually, Yuya stumbled upon an arena. It was a spectacular looking building, full of flashing lights and roaring fans. Yuya noticed a bunch of people heading inside, so he decided to see what was going on.

"Hey." Yuya said to a person in line. "What's on for today?"

"A duel." the person said. "With one of the greatest duelists who ever lived!"

"Sounds exciting." Yuya smiled.

Yuya then searched his pockets and, to his surprise, he found that he already had tickets. And they were front row.

"Front row?" the person said excitedly. "How did you get those?"

"Uh, I dunno." said Yuya. "Got lucky I guess."

"Then you better get in that line." the person said, pointing to a shorter line to the left. "That's where pre-purchased tickets are."

"Thanks." Yuya nodded.

After he showed his ticket, Yuya went to find his seat. The arena was enormous, like the one at the Leo Institute. After a few minutes, the lights turned down and an announcer in a blue suit came in.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer said excitedly. "It's time to begin today's spectacular duel! Is everyone ready?"

The crowd roared in excitement, ready to go.

"I said, ARE YOU READY?!" the announcer asked more fiercely.

The crowd roared louder, a deafening sound that made Yuya think of the Junior Arc League Championship.

"Then it's time to begin." the announcer said. "Our first combatant, the mysterious, powerful, and mystical, Cam 'The Phantom' Harris!"

A young man in a magician's outfit with a pale white mask then came out. Yuya heard the crowd give some polite shouts of encouragement, but there was a general air of distaste, as if nobody cared about this duelist.

"And our main event." the announcer said. "The greatest dueltainer that the world has ever seen. He's tough. He's vicious. He's tenacious. But above all, he's a lot of fun. Give it up for our very own, Zarc!"

"Zarc?!" Yuya said loudly in shock as the crowd gave another deafening roar.

Yuya looked down to the other end of the arena as the next duelist came in. Sure enough, it was Zarc, but not the Zarc Yuya was familiar with. This must have been the Zarc that existed before he became the Supreme King.

The resemblance between him and Yuya was uncanny. The two had the exact same face, except Zarc has yellow eyes and looked a little bit older than Yuya. Zarc has silver hair with light green highlights, having striking similarities in hair design to the dual-hair color of all of his dimensional soul fragments and Yuri's side-parted hair. He wore a blue and white jacket with orange borders, like Yugo's Turbo Suit, and a black undershirt. He also had thick red-brownish gloves, black pants with brown chaps, faded gold knee pads, dark-blue suspenders with faded gold buckles hanging from a red-brownish belt with two large holsters, like Yuto's belt, a large faded gold buckle, and brown shoes with dark-blue outlines and straps.

He waved cheerily to the crowd as they they applauded his entrance. Yuya was amazed at how nice of smile Zarc had. To think that this guy would become the monster that he was, then eventually become Yuya himself, was beyond Yuya.

"Ladies and gentlemen." the announcer said. "It's time to begin!"

Zarc and the other duelist then activated their duel disks, staring each other down.

"Let's duel!" They both said together.

* * *

Sylvio walked around the forest, the sunlight shining through the leaves. The forest was very pretty and had an atmosphere of peace to it.

"What is this place?" Sylvio said to himself. "I've never been anywhere like this."

Sylvio remembered the last time he was in a forest even close to this. He was much younger and his father was taking him on a camping trip. It was one of he few things he got to do with him when he was younger, as his father was constantly working and Sylvio was constantly being home schooled.

Sylvio remembered practically begging his dad to spend a weekend with him. Eventually, his father relented and took him camping. Though this wasn't what Sylvio had in mind, he still had a great few days with his dad, fishing with him, hiking with him, and telling stories around the campfire. Sylvio smiled, having not thought about that trip in ages.

"I miss those moments." said Sylvio. "Nowadays it's just politics this, and mayor that. Maybe I should try to get him camping again."

Sylvio kept walking, eventually reaching a small lake. The water was calm and clear. A few fish jumped out of the water nearby. A good distance away, deer came by to drink from the lake.

Sylvio bent down and looked at the water. A few fish scurried away when they saw him. Sylvio looked at his reflection and sighed. Lately, he had been trying to avoid mirrors as much as he could, only using them once a day when he got up. He couldn't stand the sight of himself these days and looking at his reflection only made it worse.

"Look at yourself." said Sylvio. "Your not even half the man you were meant to be. Your not a good duelist, you've practically lost all of your skills from the stuff you learned growing up, and your own father would rather worry about his stupid political image than his own son. You're supposed to be the best. You're supposed to be on top of the world!You...you should have been able to save the world!"

Sylvio then angrily swatted at his reflection. As he did, the feeling in the air seemed to change. The deer looked up and hopped away. The sky began to turn dark and full of clouds. A breeze began to form.

Sylvio looked around, wondering what was going on. He wanted to leave, but found that he couldn't move. He then looked down at his reflection again. His reflection looked back, then gave him a smile.

"AGGGHHHHH!" Sylvio cried out, jumping a few feet away.

Sylvio's reflection then began to rise out of the water. His body rippled like the water as he rose. Sylvio then watched his reflection turn normal as it stepped onto the land. It was like looking into a mirror, except there was something different about this one. This reflection seemed to radiate confidence and, strangely, looked better than Sylvio despite looking exactly like him.

"Who...Who are you?" Sylvio stammered.

"Isn't it obvious?" his reflection smirked. "I am you. The you you want to be."

"The...the one I want to be?" Sylvio asked.

"That's right." said the other Sylvio. "And I'm also the one who's gonna destroy you, weakling!"

* * *

"Odd-Eyes Dragon, attack!" Zarc cried out atop his dragon. "Spiral Flame Strike!"

Zarc's dragon released a beam of crimson energy, destroying his opponent's monster. The duelist was sent flying, landing hard nearby as his life points reached zero. The crowd roared in excitement as the announcer took center stage.

"Another thrilling victory from our very own, Zarc!" the announcer said. "We hope you all enjoyed the duel-"

Zarc then grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd.

"Stay in your seats ladies and gents." said Zarc. "We're not done here. I'm still raring for another duel. What say all you?"

The crowd cheered Zarc's name, eager to see him duel again.

"I don't have an official opponent lined up for another duel." said Zarc. "But I don't care, cause I'm gonna take someone from the audience. Let's see."

Zarc then looked around the audience, pointing his finger out. Many people waved their hands in excitement, hoping that Zarc would pick them. Yuya heard a few of them call out things like "right here!" or "pick me!".

"How about." said Zarc, pointing his finger at Yuya. "You!"

Everyone looked in Yuya's direction as Yuya was put on the monitor.

"Woah, am I seeing double?" someone near Yuya whispered.

"They look like they could brothers." someone else whispered.

"Even twins." another whispered.

"Well?" Zarc said, still pointing at Yuya. "You gonna chicken out, or you gonna duel?"

 _This must be my test._ Yuya thought to himself. _I have to beat Zarc._

"Your on." said Yuya. "Time to put your deck where your mouth is."

Zarc gave Yuya a confident smirk as the crowd began to boo.

"Take Em down Zarc!" an audience member shouted.

"Put him in a body bag!" another shouted.

"Go Zarc!" a group of girls shouted.

The crowd then chanted Zarc's name again as Yuya and Zarc took their positions.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, we seem to have another duel!" said the announcer as Zarc returned his microphone. "It's our main eventer Zarc vs. a random fellow from the audience. Eh, what's your name kid?"

"Yuya." said Yuya. "Yuya Sakaki."

"Alright then." said the announcer. "Let's begin the duel. Zarc vs. Yuya Sakaki!"

The crowd roared as Yuya and Zarc activated their duel disks.

"You're going down Zarc." said Yuya. "I'm gonna show what true dueltaining is."

"Is that so?" Zarc chuckled. "I look forward to seeing you try."

"Let's duel!" Yuya and Zarc shouted.

"I'll start!" said Zarc. "I'll begin by summoning Dwarf Star Dragon Planeter."

Zarc summoned his dragon (1700atk/1200def), a dragon that had it's left half covered in gold light.

"I then special summoned the monster, Kagetokage." said Zarc. "I can special summoned this monster while I summon another level four monster."

The shadow of lizard then appeared (1100atk/1500def), with two red eyes popping out from it.

"I then overlay level four Kagetokage with level for Planeter!" said Zarc. "With these two monsters, I build the overlay network!"

 _I had a bad feeling I'd see this._ Yuya thought.

Zarc's monsters then turned into orbs of yellow and purple light, which burst into the air before landing in a black and yellow portal that appeared on the field. Once the two monsters were inside, a burst of lightning shot out of the portal as a new monster began to materialize.

"Cloaked in shadows." said Zarc. "And relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons. I XYZ summon, Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

Yuya looked upon the familiar sight of his own XYZ monster, the dragon letting out a mighty roar as it appeared on Zarc's field (2500atk/2000def).

"I then play two face-downs, then end my turn." said Zarc. "And when my turn ends after I summon Dwarf Star Dragon Planeter, I can add a level 7 Light or Dark dragon from deck to my hand."

Zarc then added his Odd-Eyes Dragon to his hand, showing to Yuya.

"Now, let's see what you've got kid." said Zarc.

"My draw then!" said Yuya, drawing his card.

Yuya then took his usual stance as he addressed the crowd.

"Ok everyone." said Yuya with a huge grin. "Time to get this show on the road. As you can see, I've got quite the competition in front me. We've got a prime time champ with a prime time dragon that I'm all to familiar with."

"Huh?" a member of the crowd said. "What's that guy babbling on about?"

"Yeah, what's he trying to do?" another crowd member said.

"Time to get my turn under way." said Yuya. "And I'll start by setting my pendulum scale, with scale one Performapal Gumgumouton and scale eight Performapal Card Gardna. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!"

Yuya then put his monsters into the pendulum scale as it lit up with the word PENDULUM.

"Now I can summons monsters between levels 2-7 all at the same time!" said Yuya.

"You can what?" Zarc said in shock.

"Swing far pendulum." said Yuya. "Carve the arc of victory!"

A pendulum then appeared above Yuya as it twirled around and made a portal.

"My monsters are ready." said Yuya. "To swing into action!"

Two beams of light then burst out of the portal, taking the field.

"Bring in the peace, Harmonizing Magician." said Yuya. "Hop on in Performapal Turn Toad!"

Yuya two monsters then appeared, ready to fight back.

"Incredible." said Zarc.

"He cheated!" an audience member shouted.

"He can't do that!" another one shouted.

The audience roared in anger, booing Yuya like crazy.

"ENOUGH!" Zarc shouted.

The audience stopped their jeering, though a few angry mumbles were heard.

"Now this is interesting." Zarc said to Yuya. "I look forward to seeing what comes next."

"You won't have to wait much longer." said Yuya. "Cause Harmonizing Magicians effect activates when it's special summoned. I'm allowed to special summon a magician monster from my deck to my field. I choose level three Timegazer Magician."

Timegazer Magician then appeared, landing right next to Harmonizing Magician.

"I then tune level four Harmonizing Magician with level three Timegazer Magician." said Yuya.

The tuner monster then burst into a green light and turned into four, gear like rings. Yuya saw Zarc look on in amusement as the rings then formed a line as Timegazer went between them. The monster became transparent and then turned into three shining orbs. Lightning then burst in between the rings as Yuya's new monster formed.

"Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction!" said Yuya. "I Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Clear Wing then appeared (2500atk/2000def). It flew around the arena before landing behind Yuya, letting out a roar like a battle cry.

"Rip-off!" crowd members began to shout.

"Yeah, that's Zarc's card!" another person shouted.

"Hmph." said Zarc. "I'm not sure whether to be insulted or impressed. Still, I'm not too nervous. You may have one of my dragons, but that doesn't mean you know how to use it."

"I'll show you what I've got." said Yuya. "Clear Wing, attack! Spinstorm Skystrike!"

Clear Wing then went high into the air and readied it's attack.

 _He'll probably try to use XYZ Dragon's effect._ Yuya thought. W _hich would lower my dragon's attack points. However, Clear Wing can use it's own effect to destroy Dark Rebellion and gain it's attack points._

"Bad idea." Zarc smiled. "I play the trap, Fiendish Chain!"

Zarc's trap then flipped open as chain shot out of it.

"I activate Clear Wing's effect!" said Yuya. "This negates and destroys your trap. Go, Reverse Revenge!"

Clear Wing stopped it's attack as beams of green light shot out of it's wings, destroying the chains.

"Then I activate Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon's effect." said Zarc. "I release an overlay unit to steal half of your dragon's atk points. Go, Treason Discharge!"

Dark Rebellion absorbs one of it's overlay units. Once this happens, it's wings open and purple lightning shoots out. The lightning wraps itself around Clear Wing, absorbing it's attack points.

"Gumgumouton's pendulum effect activates!" said Yuya.

"Hm?" said Zarc.

"If my monster attacks, I can prevent it from being destroyed by that battle." said Yuya.

Gumgumouton then blows several chunks of wool at Clear Wing, creating a barrier.

"Not bad." said Zarc. "But you still take damage."

Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon then launches itself at Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Yuya's dragon is knocked back and lands in front of him. The impact sends Yuya a few feet away, dropping his life points to 1500.

"What a display!" the announcer said excitedly. "We've seen a monster like Clear Wing Synchro Dragon wipe out many a opponents, but Zarc is making one of his own monsters look like a helpless gecko!"

"Yeah, take out that faker!" said a fan.

"Wipe him out!" another shouted.

The crowd continued to chant Zarc's name as Zarc looked upon Yuya with a twisted smile.

* * *

Sylvio looked upon his mirror image, slowly getting up.

"What do you mean that you're the me I want to be?" Sylvio asked.

His counterpart smiled, a sick strange smile. He then snapped his fingers and the whole scene changed.

They were no longer in the forest. They were in a dark void, looking at many different images below them. Sylvio gasped as he saw himself doing dozens of different activities. Horseback riding, playing the violin, acting in a play, and being surrounded by dozens of adoring faces. Most prominently, he saw himself dueling and, most importantly, winning. He saw himself defeat duelists like Gong, the Sledgehammer, Iggy Arlo, Yusho Sakaki, even Declan.

"I...I can't believe it." said Sylvio. "That can't be me."

"Cause it isn't." Mirror Sylvio smirked. "It's ME. The one you'll never be."

Sylvio looked upon the other Sylvio with anger.

"Don't mock me!" He shouted. "I can be all of those things if I wanted to be!"

"No you can't." Mirror Sylvio said. "You never have been and you never will be. There's only room for one Sylvio Sawatori and that's me!"

The doppelganger then ignited his duel disk, placing his deck in it.

"Your right, there is only room for one Sylvio Sawatori." said Sylvio, doing the same. "Because Sylvio Sawatori is one of kind!"

"Let's duel!" the two Sylvio's said together.

"I'll start things off." said Mirror Sylvio. "I'll begin by setting the pendulum scale with scale one Abyss Actor-Evil Heel and scale 9 Abyss Actor-Twinkle Littlestar."

Mirror Sylvio then set his pendulum scale as his duel disk lit up with the word PENDULUM.

"I then play one face-down and end my turn." Mirror Sylvio said.

"My turn then! I draw!" said Sylvio. "I'll set my own pendulum scale, with scale three Abyss Actor-Leading Lady and scale eight Abyss Actor-Funky Comedian."

Sylvio then set his own pendulum scale as his duel disk lit up with the word PENDULUM.

"Now I can summon monsters between levels 4-7 all at once!" said Sylvio. "In fact, I'll do that now!"

A portal then appeared above Sylvio's head as two lights shot out of it.

"Looks like this Duel's about to swing my way!" said Sylvio with a smile. "I pendulum summon Abyss Actor-Superstar and Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie!"

Sylvio's monsters then appeared, with Superstar (2500atk/1800def) doing a bow and Rookie (1700atk/1000def) doing an excited dance.

"Pah!" Mirror Sylvio laughed. "You still use a worthless card like Superstar?"

"Don't you disrespect Superstar!" Sylvio shouted. "Especially not when he activates his effect! I add an Abyss Script card from my deck to my hand, as long as it's sent to the graveyard at the end of my turn. And I think Abyss script Opening Ceremony will suffice for now. I play it to gain 500 life points for every Abyss Actor on my field. In this case, it'll be 1000."

Sylvio's life points then raised to 5000.

"Now, Superstar, attack!" said Sylvio.

Superstar attacks the Mirror Sylvio, lowering his life points to 1500.

"Nice try." Mirror Sylvio smirked. "But it won't make a difference. Especially not while I have my Golden Apples trap card!"

"Oh no, not that one!" said Sylvio.

Mirror Sylvio then revealed his trap. He then regained his life points as a rainbow colored flame with one eye appeared.

"Not only are my life points restored." said Mirror Sylvio. "But I gain a Malus Token that has the same atk and def points as the damage I took."

"Fine." said Sylvio. "I end my turn with a face-down. Your move then."

"Gladly." said Mirror Sylvio. "I draw."

Mirror Sylvio looked at his card and gave a nasty grin.

"As I said earlier, your wasting your time with cards like Superstar." said Mirror Sylvio. "I dumped worthless cards like that ages ago. Especially when I get cards like this!"

A portal appeared above Mirror Sylvio's head as a blast of light burst from it.

"Meet MY Ace Monster!" said Mirror Sylvio. "And the face of your defeat. I pendulum summon, Abyss Actor-Hall of Famer!"

His new monster emerged (3000atk/2800def). This monster was taller than Superstar, with a grey beard and a short white victorian wig. Half of it's face was hidden behind a gray mask that had the Abyss Actor insignia on it. It had grey formal attire with a long black cloak. By it's side was a rapier. The monster stared Sylvio down with it's green eyes.

Sylvio had never seen a monster like it. He noticed that his hand was shaking. He didn't understand why, but there was something terrifying about this monster.

"Now it's time to take you down!" Mirror Sylvio laughed. "And prove who is the better man!"

* * *

Yuya slowly got up as the crowd continued to cheer. He panted, strangely feeling fatigued. He didn't understand why, but that last attack took a lot out of him. His dragon slowly got up, also weakened from it's failed attack.

"You mock me with that attack!" said Zarc. "Admittedly it was interesting to see your pendulum monsters effect save you, but only a fool would have walked into such an obvious trap. So, you gonna just stand or am I going to see this dueltaining that your bragging about?"

Yuya heard the crowd boo him, his head swimming with their shouts.

 _I better get my act together._ Yuya thought to himself. _Or I may lose more than just this duel._

* * *

 **Authors Note: So I'm going to start adding the attack and defense points of monster now. I realize I should have been doing it sooner, but oh well. Better late than never. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the start of this duel. How will it end? Find out next time in Chapter 12**


	12. Chapter 12

Episode 12: The Mind's Eye: Part 2

Yuya stared down Zarc as his Dark Rebellion XYZ stared back. Yuya's Clear Wing Synchro Dragon got back up, ready to continue the fight.

Zarc still had all of his life points while Yuya had 1500. Yuya had his pendulum scale with scale one Performapal Gumgumouton and scale eight Performapal Card Gardna. Zarc had his Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, along with one face-down on the field. Yuya had Clear Wing Synchro Dragon in attack position and Performapal Turn Toad in defense position.

"I play two face downs, the end my turn." said Yuya. "Your move Zarc."

Now that the turn ended, the two dragon's attack points turned back to normal.

"With pleasure." said Zarc. "I draw. First, I play Upstart Goblin. It allows me to draw one card, but you gain 1000 life points."

Zarc drew his card, then Yuya's life points raised to 2500.

"I then play, Card of Sanctity." said Zarc. "This allows us to draw until we have six cards in our hand."

Zarc drew four cards while Yuya drew six new cards. Yuya noticed one of the cards was Smile World.

"I then summon Summoner Monk." said Zarc. "And when he's summoned, he changes to defense position."

A monk in blue robes then appeared (800atk/1600def).

"I activate Monk's Effect." said Zarc. "This allows me to special summon a level four or lower monster from my deck, so long as I discard a spell card. I think this one will do."

Zarc showed his spell and Yuya saw in surprise that it was Smile World. Smile World was sent to the graveyard as his Summoner Monk glowed bright white.

"I summon the tuner monster, Delta Flyer." said Zarc.

A new dragon then appeared (atk1500/def900). It fluttered it's wings rapidly.

"I then tune level three Delta Flyer with level four Summoner Monk!" said Zarc.

Delta Flyer burst into a green light and turned into three, gear like rings. Summoner Monk then went between them. The monster became transparent and then turned into four shining orbs. Lightning then burst in between the rings as Zarc's new monster formed.

"Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction!" said Zarc. "I Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

A Clear Wing Synchro Dragon then appeared on Zarc's field. It roared fiercely as it stared down Yuya's Clear Wing, which roared right back.

"Now here's a clash." said the announcer. "Zarc has his own Clear Wing on the field now and it looks ready to tear Yuya's Clear Wing asunder."

"And I'm not done." said Zarc. "Cause I play the spell, Tribute Doll. This allows me to special summon a level 7 monster from my hand so long as I tribute a monster on my field. I'll tribute Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

Tribute Doll then appeared. The card shout out tendrils, which wrapped around Dark Rebellion. The monster roared in anguish as it disappeared from the field.

"Here comes, Odd-Eyes Dragon!" said Zarc.

Odd-Eyes (atk2500/def2000) then roared onto the field.

"Time to strike." said Zarc. "But first, I play Banner of Courage. So, when I attack, each of my monsters gain 200 atk points. Now, Clear Wing, wipe out that faker! Spinstorm Sky Strike!"

Zarc's Clear Wing soared into the air as it's atk points raised to 2700.

"Not so fast!" said Yuya. "I activate the trap, Break Away! If I discard a spell card, then not only does the battle phase end, but the effects of all monsters on the field are negated until the end of the turn!"

Yuya discards Draw Muscle, saving him from the attack.

"I play a face-down then." said Zarc. "Your move."

"My draw!" said Yuya.

Yuya drew his card. It was Performapal Skullcrobat Joker.

"I'll start by summoning Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!" said Yuya.

Yuya's monster appeared (atk1800/def100), doing a spin and a tip of it's hat as it did.

"I then activate Joker's effect." said Yuya. "When he's normal summoned, I can add a Performapal, Magician, or Odd-Eyes monster from my deck to my hand. I choose the one and only, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Joker then took out a deck of playing cards, shuffled them, then revealed Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He threw it to Yuya, who caught it.

"I then play the field spell, Sky Iris!" said Yuya.

The portal where Yuya's pendulum monsters would appear materialized above him. However, it did not disappear this time.

"With this card." said Yuya. "I can destroy one card on my field to add an Odd-Eyes card from my deck to my hand. Sorry Turn Toad, but I'll need to relieve you of your duties for now. That way I can add the spell, Odd-Eyes Fusion to my hand."

Turn Toad turned back into the beam of light, which shot into the portal. Another beam then shot out, adding the spell card to Yuya's hand.

"Now, time for my monsters, to swing into action!" said Yuya.

Two burst of light then shot out of the portal.

"Hop back to it, Performapal Turn Toad." said Yuya. "Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Turn Toad returned in defense mode with a croak (atk0/def800), and Yuya's dragon roared in triumph (atk2500/def2000), ready to fight. Zarc's Odd-Eyes roared back, ready to fight it's counterpart.

"Heh." said Zarc. "Impressive. Interesting to see another Odd-Eyes."

"He won't be sticking around." said Yuya. "Cause I play, Odd-Eyes Fusion! And I'll use it to fuse Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with my Skullcrobat Joker!"

Yuya's monsters then turned into swirls of purple light, which twisted together into Yuya's new monster.

"Together these two monsters will bring a diabolical botanical!" said Yuya. "I fusion summon! The vicious, the voracious, and venomous, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

Yuya's dragon roared in rage (atk2800/def2000), taking it's battle stance alongside Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.

"This is quite the sight!" said the announcer. "We've seen these dragons plenty of times now, but it's not often we see all of them in one duel, let alone on both sides!"

"Starving Venom's effect activates!" said Yuya. "It can absorb the attack points of every monster you control, raising it's atk points to 7800!"

Yuya's monster then emits a purple light and gains the atk strength of Zarc's dragon.

"Too bad it won't matter." said Zarc. "I play the trap, Dragon's Brethren. If there is a dragon type Fusion and Synchro monster on the field, then I can special summon a dragon type XYZ monster from my graveyard and attack this card to it as XYZ material. Welcome back, Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

Dark Rebellion then returned, a roar of excitement following it. The trap then turned into an XYZ material, attaching to Dark Rebellion.

"Starving Venom, attack!" said Yuya. "Venom Strike Attack!

"I play, Half or Nothing!" said Zarc. "Now, you have a choice. Either you can end the battle phase, or you can halve the attack of every monster you control this turn."

"I'll halve their attack." said Yuya. "Continue with your attack Starving Venom. Take out that Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Starving Venom continued it's attack, with it's atk points becoming 3900. However, it was still stronger than Clear Wing, so it managed to destroy it's target. Zarc's life points where then lowered to 2600.

"I'll play a face-down, then end my turn." said Yuya.

Yuya looked out onto the field. All four dragons were now out on the field, two on Yuya's side and two on Zarc's side. How long that was going to last, he had no idea.

"My draw!" said Zarc. "I play the spell, Synchro Dragon Revival. This allows me to special summon a dragon type synchro monster in my graveyard by banishing other monsters of the same level. I banish Delta Flyer and Dwarf Star Dragon Planeter. Come back, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Zarc's Clear Wing reappeared, ready to fight.

"I then activate Synchro Dragon Revival's other effect." said Zarc. "I can banish it and then draw cards equal to the number of dragon type monsters on the field. Since there are five, I draw five cards."

Zarc drew his cards and carefully looked them over

"I then play, Dragon's Mirror." said Zarc. "This allows me to fusion summon a monster using monsters in my graveyard. I fuse Summoner Monk with Kagetokage!"

Zarc's monsters then swirled into sphere of purple light, forming his new monster.

"Now my monsters will become a botanical nightmare!" said Zarc. "I fusion summon! The vicious, the voracious, and venomous, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

Zarc's Starving Venom Fusion Dragon appeared, letting out a mighty roar. Now Zarc had all four dragons on his field.

* * *

Sylvio stared down the new monster, Abyss Actor Hall of Famer. He had no idea what to expect.

"I activate Hall of Famer's first ability." said Mirror Sylvio. "I can summon Abyss Actor monsters from my deck equal to the number of monsters you control. However, they are destroyed during the end phase and Hall of Famer won't be able to attack this turn. I bring out Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie and Wild Hope."

Sylvio's new monsters then appeared, ready for battle. Wild Hope (atk1600/def1200), flipped it's gun, pointing it at Sylvio.

"I then play Wild Hopes special ability." said Mirror Sylvio. "It gains 100 atk points for every other Abyss Actor on my field with a different name. Since there are two, it gains 200 atk points."

Wild Hopes atk then raised to 1800.

"Wild Hope, attack Sassy Rookie!" said Mirror Sylvio.

"Sassy Rookie's effect activates." said Sylvio. "Once per turn, he can't be destroyed in battle."

"You still take damage though." said Mirror Sylvio.

Wild Hope fired from it's gun, hitting Sassy Rookie. However, Sassy Rookie was not destroyed. Sylvio's life points dropped to 4800.

"My Malus Token then attacks your Rookie." said Mirror Sylvio.

His Malus Token then charged at Rookie, who readied itself for the attack. This time, Rookie's ability would not be able to save it, thus it gets destroyed and Sylvio's life points drop to 4100.

"I activate the pendulum ability of my Leading Lady." said Sylvio. "With it, she can decrease your Token's attack points equal to the damage I just took. So say goodbye to 700 atk points from your Malus Token."

Malus Tokens atk points then lowered from 2500 to 1800.

"I then set a face-down, then end my turn." said Mirror Sylvio. "And with that, Rookie and Wild Hope are destroyed. Since they're pendulum monsters though, they get sent to the top of my extra deck. Your move."

"I draw" said Sylvio as Mirror Sylvio's monsters got destroyed. "I'll begin with a pendulum summon. Monsters, emerge!"

A portal then appeared above Sylvio's head as his monsters appeared.

"I'll bring out Abyss Actor-Curtain Raiser." said Sylvio. "And welcome back to the stage, Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie."

Sylvio's monsters appeared. Rookie gave another dance and Curtain Raiser (atk1100/def1000) gave a twirl.

"I then activate Funky Comedian's pendulum ability." said Sylvio. "This allows me to tribute an Abyss Actor so that another Abyss Actor can gain their atk points. I tribute Curtain Raiser and give his atk points to Superstar!"

Curtain Raiser then left the field as Superstars atk points rose to 3600.

"Time to steal the show." said Sylvio. "But first, I play the trap, Abyss Glory. If the atk or def points of one of my Abyss Actors on the field changes, I can add that same amount to one other Abyss Actor monster on the field. I'll add it to Sassy Rookie."

Sassy Rookie then gained 1100 atk points as well, raising his atk points to 2700.

"Sassy Rookie, attack his Malus Token!" said Sylvio.

"As if." said Mirror Sylvio. "I play the trap, Abyss Misdirection. If I control an Abyss Actor monster when my opponent declares an attack, I can choose the attack target. So your Rookie is going after my Hall of Famer!"

Rookie then changed direction, charging towards Hall of Famer, who drew it's rapier out.

"Once per turn, Rookie can't be destroyed in battle." said Sylvio.

Nevertheless, Rookie attacked Hall of Famer, who slashed him away with his rapier. Superstar caught Rookie and gently put the monster down as Sylvio's life points lowered to 3800.

"Leading Ladies effect then activates." said Sylvio. "So I'll lower Hall of Famer's atk by 300 points."

"No you won't." Mirror Sylvio smirked. "You see, by sending an Abyss Actor from my extra deck back to my deck, Hall of Famer is unaffected by your card effects."

Mirror Sylvio grabs his own Sassy Rookie and shuffles it back into his deck. Hall of Famer then lets out a faint golden glow, which protects him from Leading Ladies ability.

"Then I'll just attack with Superstar!" said Sylvio.

Superstar leapt into the air and attacked Hall of Famer. The monster was defeated, lowering Mirror Sylvio's life points to 3400.

"I'll play a face-down, then end my turn." said Sylvio. "Your move."

The atk points of Sylvio's monsters then returned to normal.

"With pleasure." said Mirror Sylvio. "My draw! It's time to pendulum summon. Monsters, emerge!"

Two burst of light then appeared from the portal over Mirror Sylvio.

"Return to the field, Hall of Famer!" said Mirror Sylvio. "And now I bring out, Abyss Actor-Casting Director."

Hall of Famer returned, along with a new monster (atk1400/def700), a portly demon like creature with the Abyss Actor insignia on a pocket watch.

"Casting Director's effect activates." said Mirror Sylvio. "I can draw cards up to the number of Abyss Actor monsters on both of our fields. That means, I draw four cards!"

Mirror Sylvio drew his cards and carefully looked them over.

"I then activate Twinkle Littstar's pendulum ability." said Mirror Sylvio. "This allows Hall of Famer to attack three times this turn. However, he is the only monster that is allowed to attack."

"Three times?" Sylvio asked in shock.

"Right." Mirror Sylvio smiled. "Then, I use Evil Heels pendulum ability. By tributing my Casting Director, a monster on your field will lose atk points equal to his own, so let's put Sassy Rookie in his place, shall we?"

Casting Director is then tributed, lowering Rookie's atk points to 200.

"Hall of Famer, attack!" said Mirror Sylvio.

Hall of Famer took it's rapier and charged at Sassy Rookie.

"I activate the spell, Abyss Script-Romantic Terror!" Sylvio said quickly. "This allows me to return an Abyss Actor monster on my field to my hand and then switch it with a face-up Abyss Actor monster in my extra deck. I switch Sassy Rookie with Curtain Raiser."

Sassy Rookie then returned to Sylvio's hand as Curtain Raiser appeared in it's place in defense mode. Hall of Famer then sliced right through it, but Sylvio didn't take any damage due to it being in defense mode.

"That was attack number one." said Mirror Sylvio. "Here comes number two. Hall of Famer, slice through his Superstar!"

Hall of Famer charged again, stabbing Superstar in the heart. Superstar cried out in pain before being destroyed. Sylvio's life points then lowered to 3300.

"I play Leading Ladies effect." said Sylvio.

"What for?" Mirror Sylvio chuckled. "I'll simply use Hall of Famers effect."

Mirror Sylvio then returned Wild Hope to his deck, protecting Hall of Famer.

"Hall of Famer, attack one last time!" said Mirror Sylvio.

Hall of Famer charged again. It slashed at Sylvio, sending him flying and lowering his life points to 300.

* * *

 _Zarc's got all four dragons._ Yuya thought to himself. _This is not good. At least I have Break Away out on the field right now._

"Starving Venom Fusion Dragons effect activates." said Zarc. "I now absorb the atk points of all of your monsters. But I suppose you knew that already, didn't you."

Zarc's Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's atk points then rose to 8100.

"Next, I play, Stamping Destruction." said Zarc. "With this spell, I can destroy a spell or trap on your field as long as I control a dragon type monster. Plus, you lose 500 life points."

Yuya's Break Away was then destroyed as his life points lowered to 2000.

"I activate Dark Rebellion's effects." said Zarc. "I remove one overlay unit to halve the atk points of your Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. Go, Treason Discharge!"

Dark Rebellion then absorbed the atk points of Starving Venom, lowering it to 1400.

"Now, Starving Venom, attack!" said Zarc. "Wipe out that Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! And thanks to Banner of Courage, my dragon gains 200 extra atk points!"

"I play my two face-downs!" said Yuya. "I have not one, but two Enchanted Javelins! These traps allow me to absorb the atk points of your Fusion Dragon."

"I activate Clear Wing's effect." said Zarc. "To negate that ability!"

"Then I use my own Clear Wings effect to negate and destroy your Clear Wing!" said Yuya.

Zarc's Clear Wing began to make it's move, but was intercepted by Yuya's Clear Wing. There was a massive explosion as the dragon's abilities collided. However, when the dust settled, both dragons were still standing.

"What happened?" Yuya asked.

"What happened was the other effect of my trap Dragon's Brethren." said Zarc. "When it's in my graveyard, I can remove it from play to prevent my dragons from being destroyed this turn. However, your javelins will still work."

Two javelins then appeared in Yuya's hand as Starving Venom continued it's attack. The tips of the javelins glowed green, sending out a wave of green energy. Yuya's life points then raised to 18600. It was then lowered however, as Starving Venom destroyed Clear Wing. Yuya's life points then lowered to 10800.

"Odd-Eyes Dragon, attack Starving Venom." said Zarc. "Spiral Flame Strike!"

Odd-Eyes then destroyed Starving Venom. Normally, when Starving Venom is destroyed, it would destroy every monster on his opponent's field. However, due to Dragon's Brethren, Zarc's monsters were spared and Yuya's life points lowered to 9700.

"Odd-Eye's effect activates." said Zarc. "When he destroys a monster by battle, you get bit by half of it's original atk points. Since Starving Venom had 2800 atk points, you lose 1400 life points."

Yuya's life points then lowered to 8500.

"Clear Wing, destroy that Turn Toad." said Zarc. "Spinstorm Skystrike!"

Clear Wing launched itself at Turn Toad, taking out the monster.

"And last but certainly not least." said Zarc. "Attack, Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. Mauling Mandible Charge!"

Dark Rebellion launched itself at Yuya. Having no defense, Yuya was blasted away, his life points dropping to 4600.

"I then activate this card, One of a Kind." said Zarc. "If I can guess a monster that you have, you have to send it to the graveyard. Given the circumstances, I'm guessing you also have Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

Yuya then saw his own Dark Rebellion card rise out of his extra deck and flutter into his graveyard.

"How pathetic!" Zarc said as his four dragon's stared down Yuya. "I lay a face-down, then end my turn."

"What happened to you Zarc?" Yuya said as he slowly tried to get up. "You used to make people smile with your dueling. Now your just a brute. Are you even proud of what your doing? Are you?"

Zarc didn't answer as the crowd roared his name. Yuya looked at his face. Zarc was no longer smiling. His expression was now hard to read.

"My happiness doesn't matter." said Zarc, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "My dueltaining alone isn't what people want. They WANT me to be brutal. They WANT me to be violent. THEY want destruction and carnage. And as a dueltainer, I need to give it to them. Otherwise, I'll be nothing. I'll fade away just as most of my opponents have."

"But you haven't answered my question Zarc." said Yuya. "I said, are YOU proud of what your doing?"

"And I said, it doesn't matter!" said Zarc fiercely. "What matters is that other people are happy, that other people are proud, even if we do things that we don't like, right?"

 _But that can't be right._ Yuya thought.

Yuya then remembered something from his youth. They were words that his father said to him when he was feeling down.

Yuya remembered it like it was yesterday. He just saw his dad do a performance of a lifetime. It was one of the coolest things he had ever seen. However, for whatever reason, Yuya heard many people complain about the duel. Many regarded it as a bore and a waste of time. Yuya took this to heart, especially when kids at school started saying the same thing about his dad.

Yuya remembered that day because it was the day his father gave him the most important advice that he had ever given Yuya. Yuya was wearing his goggles, which were filled with tears. His father then approached him. He didn't ask what was wrong, but Yuya suspected he knew already. Yusho then took off his goggles.

"Take your dad's advice Yuya." Yusho said kindly. "Try to laugh when you feel like crying. And when things get tough, respond with a smile. It will give you the strength to keep moving forward."

Yusho then took Yuya's pendulum and began to swing it.

"It's kinda like a pendulum." said Yusho as Yuya observed his pendant swing. "If the pendulum swings one way, you know it will swing the other way too, like in a duel."

"A duel?" Yuya asked his father.

"The key to dueling is to believe in your deck." said Yusho. "And yourself. When your falling behind, you can always make things swing your way again. So don't worry about anything. Just try to enjoy the ride."

Yuya then took his pendulum and began to swing it. He watched as it went side to side, pondering his father's words like never before.

Then, Yuya finally realized something. Zarc's situation was just like his own. Yuya constantly did things that made other people happy, made them smile. It was something he enjoyed doing, something that made him happy. However, that happiness was never for himself, it was always for someone else.

 _That's what led Zarc to become what he was._ Yuya thought. _He was never proud of himself. He worried too much about making everyone happy. He always swung his pendulum to the crowd, but never swung it back when it returned._

"You're not wrong Zarc." said Yuya. "It feels good to make people smile. Really good. It's a feeling that I always have, something I always strive for. But I realize something; you can't make other people happy without making yourself happy."

"I already said it-" Zarc said.

"No, it is!" Yuya interrupted. "It's ok to be selfish sometimes. It's ok to want things for yourself. What matters is that you don't let it get to your head. That's when it becomes a problem."

"And if people don't care?" Zarc asked Yuya. "What if people hate you for not giving them what they want?"

"You can't please everyone." said Yuya. "I've met people that I've given my very heart and soul into and still didn't make them smile. But those people don't matter. What matters is that you do something worthwhile for you. And if your smiling all the way, then other people will smile with you. Because happiness can be shared."

Yuya then realized that the crowd had stopped. They weren't cheering Zarc's name. They weren't booing and jeering Yuya. They were listening, listening to words intently. They almost seemed transfixed by it.

"Life is like a pendulum Zarc." said Yuya. "Sometimes, you have to swing that pendulum. Sometimes, people will catch it, but won't swing it back. Sometimes, it will miss a person entirely. But odds are, if you swung that pendulum hard enough and strong enough, someone will always be on the other side. It's a cycle that starts with you. If you're happy, then other people will be happy. You can't count on other people's smiles to keep you smiling."

"Then prove it to me Yuya." said Zarc. "Defeat me."

"I will." said Yuya. "And before I do it to impress the crowd, I'll do it make myself proud!"

* * *

"Worthless!" Mirror Sylvio laughed as Sylvio landed hard on the ground. "You think you can be the best if you can't even keep up with me?"

Sylvio panted, flat on the ground. He didn't want to get up. He didn't know if he could get up.

 _He's right._ Sylvio thought to himself. _I'm pathetic. I'm striving for something I'll never achieve. I'll never be like my father. I'll never be like Declan. And I'll never be like Yuya._

At those words, something hit Sylvio. A question rang in his head, a question he had never thought to ask himself:

So what?

So what if he wasn't as good as Yuya? So what if he wasn't as good as Declan? So what if he wasn't like his father? So what if he wasn't the best? Why did it all matter to him?

He thought of everything that happened since meeting Yuya and learning about pendulum summoning. He never really took in how much it changed his life. He managed to help stop a war, make some friends, and better himself along the way.

"Your right." Sylvio said, slowly getting up.

"Excuse me?" Mirror Sylvio asked.

"I said your right." said Sylvio. "I'm not like you. And maybe I'll never be like you."

"Of course you won't be like me." Mirror Sylvio sneered. "Your weak!"

"No, that's not it." said Sylvio. "I've been so focused on trying to be better than other people that I've never tried to be better than myself. In fact, I've never even tried to found out who I am and what I really want. That's why I can't move further. That's why I couldn't save people like Crow. But after this, I do know one thing for sure."

"Oh really?" Mirror Sylvio asked. "And what's that?"

"That I love dueltaining!" said Sylvio. "And even if I'm bottom of the barrel for the rest of my life, nothing is going to change that! Plus, there's one thing I can do that nobody else can?"

"Besides losing?" Mirror Sylvio sneered.

"I bring out the best in my opponents." said Sylvio. "Even when I'm on the losing end, I push everyone I duel to their very limits. In turn, they push me farther as well. It's true I don't always win, but as a dueltainer, that doesn't always matter. What matters is what I get out of that duel, something I never put in the effort to think about. But I will now, because it doesn't matter what other people are good at, what matters is that I focus on what I'm good at!"

"Oh please." said Mirror Sylvio. "I end my turn."

 _This is it._ Sylvio thought to himself. _My last chance. Better make it count._

"I draw!" said Sylvio.

He looked at his card. It was just the spell card he needed.

"I play the spell, Abyss Script-Rough Draft." said Sylvio. "For every Abyss Actor monster face-up on my extra deck, I can draw that many cards. Since I have two, I draw two cards."

He looked at the two cards he drew and smiled.

"Perfection." Sylvio smiled. "Alright, time to pendulum summon. Monsters, emerge!"

Four lights burst out of the portal above Sylvio as his monsters took to the field.

"Come on back." said Sylvio. "Curtain Raiser, Sassy Rookie, and Superstar. And welcome to the stage, Abyss Actor-Mellow Madonna!"

Sylvio's monsters took to the field, including his new one (atk1800/def2500). The new monster was one of a young woman, with long bright pink hair with a blonde highlight in front.

"Superstars effect then activates." said Sylvio. "Allowing me to add an Abyss Script spell card to my hand. I think the best choice for that would be Abyss Script-Rise of the Abyss King, which I'll play right now. This card allows me to destroy cards on your field up to the number of attack position Abyss Actor monsters on my field. Since I control four, four of your cards go!"

The spell launched a blast of energy at Mirror Sylvio.

"You don't learn, do you?" said Mirror Sylvio as he returned Casting Director to his deck. "Thanks to his effect, Hall of Famer is spared."

"Oh, I learned quite well." said Sylvio. "Cause you see, when I activate an Abyss Script spell card while I control Mellow Madonna, I can special an Abyss Actor monster from my deck so long as it's returned to my hand at the end of my turn. Come to the field, Wild Hope!"

Sylvio's own Wild Hope then appeared, giving it's pistol a turn.

"It doesn't matter how many monsters you summon!" Mirror Sylvio sneered. "My Hall of Famer has more attack points! Plus, he's invincible so long as I have monsters in my extra deck!"

"Then you better take a second glance." said Sylvio.

"What?" Mirror Sylvio said, looking at his extra deck.

He gasped, realizing that he no longer had any monsters in his extra deck.

"No." said Mirror Sylvio. "No. No! No, no, no, no, no, NO!"

"I then play the spell, Abyss Ensemble!" said Sylvio. "If I control five Abyss Actor Monsters on the field, one of my Abyss Actor monsters gains atk points equal to each of their levels times 200. So, that's a whopping 5200 atk points to Superstar, raising his atk strength to…"

"7700." said Mirror Sylvio.

Superstar then glowed with a golden aura as it powered up, facing down Hall of Famer.

"Superstar, end this duel!" said Sylvio. "Attack!"

Superstar launched itself at Hall of Famer, who met him head on. Superstar dodged a strike from Hall of Famer's rapier and then punched the monster right in the jaw. Hall of Famer was sent flying, landing on Mirror Sylvio. The monster then disappeared as Mirror Sylvio's life points hit zero.

Sylvio walked over to his counterpart and offered his hand. Mirror Sylvio took it as Sylvio helped him up.

"You'll never be me." said Mirror Sylvio, now sporting a genuine smile. "No matter how hard you try. But it isn't me that you should strive to be. Nor should you strive to be anyone else. Your one of a kind and you need to perfect what makes you one of a kind. I wish you luck in that endeavor."

Sylvio nodded in thanks as Mirror Sylvio disappeared. The world around Sylvio began to change to as a burst of bright light blinded him.

* * *

"Now!" said Yuya. "It's-my-DRAW!"

Yuya looked at his card and saw that it was Performapal Laugh Maker.

"Alright." said Yuya. "Time for my monsters, to swing into action!"

The portal then reappeared above Yuya as three monster burst out of it.

"Come on back, Performapal Turn Toad." said Yuya. "Performapal Skullcrobat Joker, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Yuya's monster returned as Odd-Eyes let out a thunderous roar, which was answered by Zarc's dragons.

"Zarc." said Yuya. "I know you can hear them. Your dragons. I can to. But your not listening to them. Listen to what they're saying."

Zarc looked puzzled then closed his eyes. He then opened them quickly in shock.

"They're angry." said Zarc. "And sad."

"Because your not dueling like you used to." said Yuya. "The crowd isn't the only one who enjoyed your dueling, the way you made people smile. Your dragons enjoyed it too. That's why they stood by you. Your dueling made them happy and, in turn, they wanted to make you happy. And they still do. But not like this."

"I…" said Zarc.

"It's time to show what you can do with these dragons." said Yuya. "When you duel with your heart! But first, I'm going to tribute my Turn Toad and my Pendulum Dragon to bring out some reinforcements. I summon, Performapal Laugh Maker!"

Yuya's new monster (atk2500/def2000), took to the field. It spinned it's cane around, before tipping it's hat to Zarc and then to the audience.

"I then destroy Performapal Card Garnda to activate Sky Iris." said Yuya. "Allowing me to add the spell, Odd-Eyes Fusion Gate to my hand. I'll then play that card right now, letting me perform a fusion summon using an Odd-Eyes in my extra deck and a Fusion monster in my graveyard. So, I fuse Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

Zarc looked on in awe as he saw Starving Venom Fusion Dragon merge with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

"Now!" said Yuya. "The power of Pendulum combines with the forces of Fusion to create a brand new dragon. I fusion summon, Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon!"

Yuya's new dragon appeared (atk3300/def2500), staring down Zarc's dragons as Zarc looked on in awe.

"I...I never even dreamed…" said Zarc.

"Check it out!" an audience member said.

"That dragon is so pretty!" a little girl said.

"I activate Venom Dragon's effect." said Yuya. "Not only can he copy the ability of one of your monsters, but also gain that monsters atk points. And who better than Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"I don't think so!" said Zarc. "I activate Clear Wing's ability! This negates your dragons ability and allows Clear Wing to absorb it's atk points!"

Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon began to use it's special ability, but Clear Wing responded with it's own. This negated and destroyed Venom Dragon, raising Clear Wings atk points to 5800.

"When Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon is destroyed." said Yuya. "I can special summon a monster in my pendulum zone and then put Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon into my pendulum zone. Come on to the field, Performapal Gumgumouton!"

Gumgumouton then appeared on the field (atk900/def2400), as Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon took it's place in the pendulum zone.

"Since Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon was destroyed." said Yuya. "My Odd-Eyes Fusion Gate is destroyed too. But that's fine, cause that allows me to add Odd-Eyes Synchro Gate to my hand, which I'm gonna play right now!"

Yuya played his card, allowing Odd-Eyes and Clear Wing to reappear.

"Thanks to this spell card." said Yuya. "Odd-Eyes is treated as a level 1 tuner, which I'm going to use to tune Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Odd-Eyes then turned into a gear like ring as Clear Wing went inside. The dragon then became transparent as it burst into seven orbs of light. Lightning then surged in between the two rings as Yuya's new dragon took form.

"Fly on in!" said Yuya. "Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon!"

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon roared in (atk3000/def2500), as the crowd looked on in excitement.

"First a fusion, then a synchro!" said the announcer. "How will Zarc answer this next move?"

"I use Wing Dragon's effect!" said Yuya. "I'm going to negate the effects of a monster on the field. In this case, I choose Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

"You'll do nothing of the sort." said Zarc. "I play Divine Wrath. By discarding one card, this trap allows me to negate and destroy a monster on the field!"

Zarc discarded his card, allowing the trap to fire a blast of lightning at Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon, destroying it.

"When Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon is destroyed." said Yuya. "I can add it to my pendulum zone."

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon then joined Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon in the pendulum zone, taking the vacant spot next to it.

"Lemme guess." said Zarc. "Your Synchro Gate gets destroyed too?"

"Right you are." Yuya smiled. "And when that happens, I can add Odd-Eyes XYZ Gate to my hand, which in case your following along, I'm gonna play right now!"

Yuya played the spell as Odd-Eyes reappeared, joined by Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon.

"When special summoned through this card." said Yuya. "Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon is treated as a level 7 monster, which means I can overlay it with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon then burst into purple lights. They shot into the portal that lead to the overlay network. Lightning then shot out of the portal as Yuya's new dragon arose.

"Dragon with blazing, raging eyes!" said Yuya. "Come and conquer all that stands against you! I XYZ summon, Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!"

Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon (atk3000/def2500), roared in, ready to attack.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon's effect." said Yuya. "I when he's summoned, I can destroy any number of level 7 or lower monsters on your field, then hit you for 1000 points of damage for each on destroyed! Go, Sweeping Static Charge!"

"Then I'll discard Clear Kuriboh!" said Zarc. "This prevents me from taking any effect damage this turn."

Zarc's dragons weren't so lucky though. Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon roared, letting out a powerful shockwave. This shockwave destroyed Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Odd-Eyes Dragon, leaving only Starving Venom Fusion Dragon and Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon on Zarc's field.

"Impressive." said Zarc.

"I'm not done yet." said Yuya.

"But you could finish me off right now!" said Zarc. "You've proven your point. What else do you need to do?"

"I haven't proven my point yet." said Yuya. "I'm winning this duel, but I'm doing it my way. I'm not gonna use my dragons, cause they're not my dragons. They're OUR dragons. And while they'll always be a part of me, they don't make me me. And they don't make me you. What makes me, me, is my dueling. And it's time to put a smile on everyone's faces. I play, Smile World!"

Yuya then played one of his favorite cards. The arena became enveloped in dazzling lights as dozens of different smiling shapes and faces surrounded everyone.

"Smile World!" a little girl cried out happily.

"It's been a while since I've seen this card." another audience member said, smiling.

"Remember this card Zarc?" Yuya asked.

"How could I forget?" said Zarc, smiling. "This was the first spell card I ever got. It was always my favorite. I wouldn't have gotten into dueling without it."

Yuya looked at Zarc. Zarc's smile was now pure, a real genuine smile. Now it was really like looking into a mirror, as Zarc's smile resembled Yuya's smile.

"With the effect of Smile World." said Yuya. "All monster on the field currently gain 100 atk points for each monster on the field. Since there are six, each of our monster gain 600 atk points."

All of the monsters on the field gained 600 atk points. The strongest monster on the field was still Rebellion Dragon, having 600 atk points.

"Now we move on, to the true star of the show!" said Yuya. "Peformapal Laugh Maker. You see, when Laugh Maker attacks, he gains 1000 atk points for each monster on your field that has had their atk points changed. This will raise his atk points o 5100. Now, Laugh Maker, attack Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

Laugh Maker then attack Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. As Yuya said, Laugh Makers atk points rose.

"Nice move." said Zarc. "But it won't be enough to beat me. And when Starving Venom Fusion Dragon is destroyed, it'll destroy every monster on your side of the field."

"No it won't." said Yuya. "Cause I use Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon's pendulum ability. When my monster battles your monster, the attacking monster gains atk points equal to your monsters atk points. So, Laugh Maker gains an extra 3400 atk points!"

Laugh Maker gave a chuckle as Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon glowed brightly. It sent a burst of light, covering both Starving Venom Fusion Dragon and Performapal Laugh Maker. Everyone looked on in awe as Laugh Maker's atk points rose to 8500. Laugh Maker then hit Starving Venom hard with it's cane, destroying the monster and lowering Zarc's life points to zero.

Zarc got on his knees, shaking. Everyone looked on. For a second, Yuya thought Zarc was crying. Zarc then lifted his head, in a fit of childish laughter. Slowly, the crowd then got on their feet and started clapping. The clapping got louder and louder, erupting into full blown applause.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what a duel!" said the announcer. "It went back and forth, back and forth, but in the end, we've got a winner. Let's give our congratulations to, Yuya Sakaki!"

Everyone continued to cheer, chanting Yuya's name. Yuya then approached Zarc, who was still laughing with joy. Yuya offered his hand and Zarc took it.

"Yuya." said Zarc. "That was one of the best duels I ever had. Thank you."

"Thank you too Zarc." said Yuya. "I owe a lot to you."

"I never realized how much I lost my way." said Zarc, looking around. "I was so caught up in the fame and glory, I forgot what it was like to smile for myself. And when I'm smiling, others will join me."

"That's right Zarc." said Yuya. "Making the crowd happy is what dueltaining is all about. You may not be able to please everyone, but if you keep dueling to make yourself smile, you'll make other people smile."

"Heh." said Zarc. "I'll remember that. And I hope you keep following your own advice Yuya."

"For you." said Yuya. "I will."

Zarc then took Yuya's arm and raised it up high. The crowd roared louder, so loud it was practically deafening.

Suddenly, there was a flash of bright white light. It enveloped everything around Yuya as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back in the temple. He stood up, looking into the eyes of Henshuta. Sylvio awoke a moment later.

"Well, glad to see your awake." said Henshuta.

"What time is it?" Sylvio asked.

"Oh, the sun's about to set." said Henshuta.

"We've been out for that long?" Yuya asked.

"That's nothing." said Henshuta. "I one student be in that state for over a week. But nevermind that. Tell me, what have you each learned from this journey?"

"I learned that it's ok to do things for yourself." said Yuya. "Making other people happy is important, but it's important for you to be smiling along the way first."

"Well said." said Henshuta. "And you Sylvio?"

"I need to stop holding myself to other people's standards." said Sylvio. "I need to better myself and be proud of what I'm best."

"Excellent!" said Henshuta. "You both passed with flying colors. Now, it's time."

"Time for what?" Yuya asked.

"For the next phase of your training." said Henshuta. "Which means, it's time to give you back your decks."


	13. Chapter 13

Episode 13: Monstrous Perspective

Yuya and Sylvio woke up the next day, butterflies in their stomachs. At last, they could have their decks backs. It was time to really learn dueling.

The boys got ready and met Henshuta in the dojo. Henshuta was waiting for them, meditating. On either side of him was their decks. In front of their decks were their signature cards: Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Abyss Actor Superstar. They also noticed that he seemed to have set up an obstacle course lined with paper all over. Yuya sat in front of his deck while Sylvio sat in front of his.

"Good morning, master." the two of them bowed.

"Good morning." said Henshuta, opening his eyes. "You two seem excited."

"We are." said Yuya.

"Good." said Henshuta. "Now then, before you take your decks back, we must talk the next phase of training. Do you recall my rules?"

"Yes sir." said the boys.

"Well, disregard them." said Henshuta. "Those rules no longer apply."

"Really?" Sylvio said. "Then, can we ask questions?"

"You already did." Henshuta smiled. "And yes, you may."

"Alright then." said Sylvio. "Then, what was the point of everything?"

"Very simple." said Henshuta. "You both are very athletic already, having participated in Action Duels. However, it's all natural skill, not refined. The training was meant to perfect your abilities through muscle memory. Now, go through the obstacle course. You'll notice I've hung pieces of paper around it. Grab them like you would in an Action Duel. I'll time you."

Yuya and Sylvio nodded as Henshuta set his stop watch. They then leapt around the course. Yuya and Sylvio did notice a significant difference. They seemed faster, sharper. When they finished, Yuya had the most.

"Under a minute." Henshuta smiled. "Well done."

"It felt weird." said Sylvio. "Wonderful, but weird."

"I'd say so." said Henshuta. "You've obviously practiced how to perform, but not how to use your body. Through my instructions and through muscle memory, you've managed to strengthen yourself."

"Nice." said Yuya.

"Now then." said Henshuta. "To our lesson for today: trusting your ace monster. That is one of the most important aspects of being a duelist."

"Well, of course." said Sylvio. "We learned that early on."

"Yes, but most duelists don't use it in practice." said Henshuta. "Your ace is always your most trusted card and companion. Yet some people never put stock in such things."

"I do." said Yuya.

"I'm sure." said Henshuta. "But let's test that. Come with me."

The three of them walked into a new room. It was full of the statues that Henshuta had in the dojo. In the middle of the room, several statues were placed on a duel field. The statues on one side were of Cyber Dragon and Harpie Lady. The other side had Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

"I hope you are up for a statue duel." said Henshuta.

"A statue duel?" Sylvio asked.

"Yes." said Henshuta, heading towards the opposite end of a table on the duel field. "You two will be dueling me using these statues and these stone cards. Go on now."

"Ok." said Yuya. "Sound simple enough."

"Well, we shall see." said Henshuta.

Yuya and Sylvio then walked over to the other table. There were stone tablets that had cards carved into them. In their hand was stone tablet versions of Monster Reborn, Diffusion Wave Motion, Rush Recklessly, Axe of Despair, and Alligator Sword.

"Looks easy enough." said Sylvio. "Alright, we're ready."

"Then let's begins." said Henshuta.

"Duel!" they all said.

"Generating duel field." said a female voice. "Statue Zone."

They were then surrounded by a bright purple mist. Before their very eyes, the statues crumbled. In their place stood their monsters, all ready to attack.

"Amazing." said Yuya.

"Alright." said Sylvio. "I'll go first. I play the spell, Axe of Despair. And I equip it to Dark Magician."

Sylvio played the tablet, which formed into a demonic axe. Dark Magician (2500atk/2000def), took the axe, raising it's atk points to 3500.

"I then summon Alligator's Sword." said Sylvio. "In atk mode."

Their new monster then appeared. It was an anthropomorphic alligator wielding a sword (1500atk/1200ef).

"Oh, one more thing." said Henshuta. "In this duel, you can attack on your first turn."

"We can?" Sylvio asked. "In that case-"

"I play a trap!" said Henshuta. "Threatening Roar. Due to this trap, you can't declare an attack this turn."

One of Henshuta's face-down tablets then turned up as an earth shattering roar sounded out of it. Yuya and Sylvio covered their ears as their monsters backed away.

"I end my turn with a face-down." said Sylvio, setting Rush Recklessly down. "Yuya, your move."

"Ok." said Yuya. "I attack! Go Dark Magician!"

"I play Negate Attack!" said Henshuta. "This stops your attack in it's tracks and ends the battle phase."

"Then I end my turn." said Yuya. "Your move."

"Alright then." said Henshuta. "Now, time to change things up a bit."

Henshuta's eyes then suddenly flashed red for second. Yuya and Sylvio then were blinded by a flash of white light.

When Yuya came too, he found himself closer to Henshuta and his monsters. He then looked at his hands and noticed that they weren't his hands. He was also holding the axe of despair. He looked in the reflection of the axe and found that he was staring at the Dark Magician. However, he was also staring at himself.

He was the Dark Magician!

"What?" Yuya asked in shock. "What happened?"

"What gives?" Sylvio's voice said next to Yuya. "What did he do?"

Yuya looked on surprise, staring at Alligator's Sword. Except it wasn't Alligator's Sword. It had to be Sylvio.

"What in the-" Yuya said.

"Focus boys." Henshuta interrupted. "Your gonna want to pay attention. Especially after I play this. Polymerization!"

Henshuta's Cyber Dragon roared as two more of them appeared. The monster then turned into yellow light as they swirled together.

"Prepare to meet a force of pure destruction." said Henshuta. "As the force of Cyber merges together. I fusion summon, Cyber End Dragon!"

A massive robotic dragon then appeared. It had three heads, massive wings, and long, serpentine body.

As the dragon stared down the field, Yuya felt himself shaking. He didn't understand why though. He had seen monsters like this before. However, he soon realized that it wasn't him who was afraid. It was the Dark Magician that he was currently inhabiting.

"I then play Heavy Storm." said Henshuta. "Destroying every other spell and trap on the field."

Yuya and Sylvio's spells then disappeared, reducing Dark Magician's atk back to 2500.

"I then play Super Strident Blaze." said Henshuta. "By equipping this too Cyber End Dragon, it can attack three times. Let's start with that Alligator's Sword."

"W-wait!" Sylvio shouted in response.

Too late. The Cyber End Dragon charged it's attack and then shot energy beams from each of it's mouths. It enveloped the Alligator's Sword that Sylvio was possessing, reducing their life points to 1500.

"Sylvio!" Yuya shouted.

"Your turn, Dark Magician." said Henshuta. "Cyber End Dragon, Super Strident Blaze!"

The dragon then charged it's attack again, shooting it Yuya. Yuya cried out in terror before white light enveloped him again. Yuya then came too as the field began to vanish. He was back in his own body as Henshuta approached him.

"What was that all about?" Sylvio asked, breathing heavily.

"To teach you." said Henshuta. "That even monsters feel fear. Tell me, where you afraid?"

"Very." said Yuya.

"All of your monsters feel this." said Henshuta. "You may not always realize it, but it's true. That's why trusting your monsters and your deck is key. Especially your ace monster. They are counting on you just as much as you are counting on them."

"I think I understand." said Yuya.

"Me too." said Sylvio.

"Good." said Henshuta. "Care to try again?"

"Sure." said Yuya. "Can I face Sylvio this time?"

"Oh, you're on." said Sylvio, running towards the nearest statue.

* * *

After a full day of statue duels, Yuya and Sylvio rested in their room, going over their decks. It had been weeks since they had given up their decks, so Yuya was smiling ear to ear as he looked over his cards.

"Here's something I haven't thought about." said Sylvio. "I could use Comic Relief to switch monsters, but refrain from destroying it. Then, if my opponent uses Comic Relief's effect, I can use Comic Relief to destroy one of my Abyss Script cards to activate their effects. I just need to find a way to keep Comic Relief alive."

"Sounds good." said Yuya. "How about this? Combining Laugh Maker with Wonder Wand and Smile World. That'll increase his atk points like crazy."

"Sure." said Sylvio. "But Laugh Maker could still be vulnerable."

"True." said Yuya. "But keep in mind, if Laugh Maker is destroyed, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard. If done the right way, I could turn the tide of the duel."

"Oh, that's right." said Sylvio.

"Plus, if my attack fails and Laugh Maker survives." said Yuya. "I can send him and Wonder Wand to the graveyard to draw two cards."

"Oh, I've never got a chance to use this card yet." said Sylvio. "Abyss Costume-Wizards Robes. This prevents the card equipped to it from being destroyed by card effects. Combine that with Abyss Costume-Apollo's Lyre and the monster is practically indestructible."

"Neat." said Yuya.

"Hey, Yuya?" said Sylvio.

"Yeah?" Yuya said.

"I just wanna say, thanks." said Sylvio.

"For what?" Yuya asked.

"Everything." said Sylvio. "For being a good rival. For teaching me pendulum summoning and dueltaining. For putting up with me. And for being my friend. A real friend."

"You're welcome." Yuya smiled. "You didn't make it easy though."

"I know." Sylvio laughed.

Yuya remembered when he first met Sylvio. The dislike between them was fierce. Then again. Sylvio did steal his first pendulum cards, Timegazer Magician and Stargazer Magician, as well as threatening Yuya's friends if he didn't duel. However, since their duel at the ARC-League championship and since they joined the Lancers, Yuya and Sylvio got closer. Yuya also noticed that Sylvio seemed to get less pompous and more caring. He still had an ego, but he was much more humble than compared to when they first met.

"Those tests we took." said Sylvio. "They really opened my eyes. Set me on a path I needed to take ages ago."

"What was your test?" Yuya asked.

"I had to duel a mirror image of myself." said Sylvio. "Except this doppelganger was everything that I aspired to be. He was an expert duelist, musician, athlete. He was popular, handsome, and beloved. Everything I thought I was, though I am still handsome. That duel taught me to think about what I wanted to do, not what everyone else could do. I need to find my own strength, not embrace everyone else's."

"Well." said Yuya. "If I had to pick one of your strengths, it's that you bring the best out of your opponents."

"That's what I noticed." Sylvio smiled. "And I'm gonna keep doing that. If it makes me better, then I gotta keep it up after all. Anyway, what was your test?"

"I had to duel Zarc." said Yuya. "Not the Zarc that you faced though. This Zarc was before he became the Supreme King. This lesson was to teach me that I didn't need to please everyone to be happy. I'm often so focused on everyone else's happiness that I don't bother to make myself happy. So, from here on, I'm going to do things to make myself proud. If people like, then they like it. If people don't, then they don't."

"I see." said Sylvio. "I admire your selflessness Yuya, but I think it would be good for you. Being selfish isn't a bad thing. Letting it get to your head is."

"You would know." Yuya smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." said Sylvio. "Anyway, enough of this sappy stuff. Back to duel strategies."

Thus, the two returned to their decks, looking over their cards and having a merry old time.

* * *

Inside the Leo Corporation, Riley was sleeping soundly in her room. The infant breathed peacefully in her crib, barely making a sound.

It was late at night. Paradise City was dark and peaceful. Only the sounds of the city were heard.

Suddenly, out of the shadows of Riley's room, a figure appeared. It was the same man that appeared before Eric Samson when he transformed into Mr. Heartland.

The blue haired man approached Riley's crib and looked down. The baby still slept soundly as the man gently stroked her cheek.

"Precious little thing." said the man. "It's almost shameful. But it is not this little one that I am after."

Riley didn't open her eyes, but she began to stir. The man removed his hand, watching the baby carefully as Riley began to shake.

"So you do sense me?" the man asked, amused. "The soul of Zarc is quite potent. I can't wait to see the master use it's power."

The man then raised his hand as Riley slowly opened her eyes. Above her crib, a green circle began to form. The circle then formed into a seal, with a unicursal hexagram in the center. Strange symbols appeared in the side of the seal as it began to lower over Riley. Riley cried out in fear as the seal got closer and closer.

"Now, with the Seal of Orichalcos." said the blue haired man. "The soul of Zarc belongs to me!"

The doors to Riley's room then burst open. The man looked over to see Declan and Moon Shadow in the doorway, duel disks out.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Declan shouted fiercely, placing a card on his duel disk.

Moon Shadow did the same. The cards were D/D/D Wave King Caesar and Twilight Ninja Shingetsu. Caesar raised it's massive sword and swiped at the man. The man jumped away, the sword missing him by inches. The strange seal then disappeared as Wave King Caesar approached the man and Shingetsu stayed close to Riley. The man then snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Sir!" said Claude, running towards Declan with Henrietta.

"Oh my goodness." said Henrietta, running into the room and picking up the crying Riley. "Declan, what happened?"

"Someone attempted to attack Riley." said Moon Shadow.

"Attack Riley?" Henrietta asked.

"Yes." said Declan. "Though I assume it's not Riley they were after."

"Zarc." said Claude. "They were after Zarc."

"Yes." Declan nodded. "Mother, take Riley away from here. Find a safe place for her."

Henrietta nodded, leaving the room with Riley.

"Sir, what should we do?" Claude asked.

"I have some calls to make." said Declan. "It's time for the Lancers to reform."


	14. Chapter 14

Episode 14: For the Birds

In the back of an alley in Paradise city, a young man materialized out of nowhere. He opened his eyes and looked around.

"Been a while." the young man said to himself.

The young man, named Shay Obsidian, had straight blueish-black hair that fell to his chin, and light green bangs in the shape of a wing partially tucked under some strands on the left. He has yellow-green eyes, and a red scarf. He wears a blue trenchcoat that is tattered at the ends; with the coat is belted shut, and adorned with belted cuffs. He also sported grey pants and brown shoes.

As Shay walked into the busy streets, he couldn't help but smile a bit to himself. Shay came from the XYZ Dimension, which was still currently being rebuilt after the Dimension War. Heartland City, where Shay lived, had been hit the hardest. Buildings were destroyed, streets were cracked and littered with debris, and people had to take refuge in huts and rubble. Thankfully, now that the war was over, Heartland City was being rebuilt by both residents of the XYZ and Fusion Dimension. Many residents from the Fusion Dimension even moved there to help out, hoping to atone for the invasion.

Shay was certainly in the middle with all this. In a lot of ways, he was grateful for the people in the Fusion Dimension coming to help out. It meant a lot to him that they wanted to lend a hand and fix what they broke. He was even becoming friends with a few of them, a duelist named Aster Phoenix in particular. Aster was a commander of the Fusion Dimension's army, but defected after he was defeated by Yusho and Yuya. He then joined the Lancers in an effort to defeat Duel Academy and stop Zarc.

Along with Aster, Shay considered Sora to be a friend. Sora was originally a spy scouting the Standard Dimension when he first ran into Shay. The two formed a bitter rivalry due to the war and Shay had no love for Sora. However, thanks to Sora's friendship with Yuya and Zuzu, Sora defected as well and became a member of the Lancers. After the war, Shay and Sora began to bond and Sora became almost like a little brother to him.

Still, there was some bitterness with Shay. The pain that the invasion caused him and the people of Heartland City was scar that was never going to leave him. Plus, while he trusted some people from the Fusion Dimension, he didn't trust others. For one thing, there were these two girls called the Tyler Sisters. Grace and Gloria Tyler were duelists working for Duel Academy and were the top tag duelists. Shay and Yuya managed to defeat them, with Yuya winning them over with his dueltaining. However, Shay just wasn't interested in being friends them. Grace was particularly annoying, as she wouldn't seem to leave him alone for some reason.

Then there was Dennis McField, a dueltainner from Duel Academy. Like Sora, Dennis was a spy working for Duel Academy, specifically working under Yuri. Dennis's job was to scout each dimension and find anyone who resembled Ray Akaba. And unfortunately for Shay, his sister Lulu was one of those counterparts. Shay still hated Dennis, because he was the reason Duel Academy was able to invade and it was him that led Yuri to Lulu. Plus, while Shay didn't blame Yuya or Zuzu for any of this, he could never truly see his sister or his best friend again.

Shay stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and took out a locket. In the locket was a picture of himself with Yuto and Lulu. He smiled, thinking of that day, missing it dearly.

"I hope you guys are in a better place." said Shay. "Cause I sure miss you both."

Shay had a feeling that the only reason he didn't go crazy was because of his friends, his friend Kite in particular. Kite was also a resident of Heartland City and one's of Shay's closest friends. Honestly, the only people Shay could ever truly call family were Yuto and Kite. He loved all of his friends from the XYZ Dimension and the Lancers, but he's known Yuto and Kite for years. They've been like brothers to him. It was painful enough losing Yuto, he could only imagine what it would be like to lose Kite too.

As Shay walked, someone crossed in front of him. He looked up to see a smiling man in a business suit. It was Eric Samson.

"Good day young man." said Eric with a slick smile.

"Get lost." said Shay.

"You don't happen to be Shay Obsidian, are you?" Eric asked, ignoring Shay's remark.

"So what if I am?" Shay asked.

"Why, you're one of the best young duelists around kid." said Eric. "And you could be even better if-"

"Not interested." Shay interrupted. "Now kindly buzz off. I've got places to be."

Shay stepped pass Eric, but was then intercepted by Reggie and Stacy.

"What's the rush, Flyboy?" Reggie asked, toothpick sticking out of his mouth.

"Yeah." said Stacy. "An offer like this doesn't come every day."

"I already said I don't care." said Shay. "So get out of my way."

"Certainly." said Eric. "Just so long as you agree to a quick duel or two."

"A duel?" Shay asked.

"Yes." said Eric. "You defeat my two associates here, you can be on your way. Lose and you and I will be talking major league contracts."

"Ugh, fine." said Shay. "But let's save some time. I'll duel both of them at once."

"Works for me." Eric said happily.

The four of them then moved out of the streets and into a nearby park. Reggie and Stacy stared down Shay, cocky expressions on their faces. Shay looked unfazed as they all activated their duel disks.

"Duel!" they all said together.

"Generating Action Field." a female voice said. "Crossover."

Blue platforms then appeared all over them, with action cards scattered around the area as well.

"I'll start." said Shay. "First, I summon Raidraptor-Vanishing Lanius."

Shay's first monster appeared with a fierce screech (atk1300/def1600).

"I then special summon Raidraptor-Fuzzy Lanius." said Shay, summoning a new monster. "I then overlay level four Fuzzy and Vanishing Lanius."

Shay's monsters then turned into two dark purple lights, which shot into the air as they landed inside a yellow and black portal. Lightning then shot out of it as Shay's new monster formed.

"Avian hunter of the night." said Shay. "Seek your prey with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! I XYZ summon! Take flight, Raidraptor-Force Strix!"

With a mighty hoot, Shay's new monster appeared (atk100/def2000).

"That's it?" Stacy laughed. "That little chicken doesn't stand a chance against us!"

"Who said I was done?" said Shay. "I use Force Strix's ability. I detach one overlay unit to add a winged beast type monster to my hand. I choose another Vanishing Lanius. Plus, since I just sent Fuzzy Lanius to my graveyard, I can add another Fuzzy Lanius to my hand."

The cards then popped out of the deck as Shay added them to his hand.

"Now, since I successful summoned a Vanishing Lanius this turn." said Shay. "I can special summon another Vanishing Lanius to the field, like so."

With that, a second Vanishing Lanius appeared.

"And since Vanishing Lanius is out, Fuzzy Lanius can join him." said Shay. "Now, I overlay them like before, to XYZ summon a second Force Strix!"

A new Force Strix then appeared alongside it's comrade. As it did, both monster's atk points increase by 500, raising them to 600.

"Wait, why'd your monster's atk points go up?" Reggie asked.

"When I control another winged beast monster other than Force Strix." said Shay. "It's atk points increase by 500. And I'm gonna increase their atk points even further. Using my second Force Strix, I detach an overlay unit to add Vanishing Lanius to my hand. And since it was Fuzzy Lanius that I sent to the graveyard, I can add another Fuzzy Lanius to my hand."

Shay then repeated the process, adding Vanishing and Fuzzy Lanius to his hand.

"Then, just like before, I summon Vanishing and Fuzzy Lanius." said Shay, summoning his monsters. "And then use them to XYZ summon my final Force Strix!"

Shay's last Force Strix appeared, raising all three of the XYZ monster's atks to 1100.

"I then lay two face-downs and end my turn." said Shay.

"Then it's my move." said Reggie. "I draw. Then, I play Gishki Aqua Mirror. I can use this card to ritual summon any Gishki Ritual monster I want. I then tribute Gishki Shadow, which has the special ability that allows it to be one tribute for any WATER attribute ritual monster."

A mirror then appeared, along with Reggie's monster. Reggie's monster went inside the mirror and then disappeared. The mirror spun as a new monster began to form.

"From the depths of the ocean." said Reggie. "Comes a new monster that's sure to make a wave of destruction! I ritual summon, Evigishki Levianima!"

The mirror burst as Reggie's new monster emerged (atk2700/def1500). It gave a mighty screech, brandishing it's sword at Shay, who looked at the monster unfazed.

"I end my turn there." said Reggie.

"My turn then." said Stacy. "I draw! I then play, Polymerization. I fuse Berformet with Gazelle, the King of the Mythical Beasts!"

Stacy's two monsters merged together in a swirl of light, forming her new monster.

"Two lords of the jungle merge as one." said Stacy. "Becoming a beast the likes of which makes all predators cower. I fusion summon, Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!"

With a thunderous growl, Stacy's new monster appeared (atk2100/def1800)

"I then play two face-downs and end my turn." said Stacy. "Your move."

"Then I draw!" said Shay. "And I play the spell, Rank-up Magic Raid Force. This allows me to summon a monster using one of my Force Strix's that is one rank higher. Go, Rank-up XYZ Evolution!"

One of Shay's Force Strix's then turned into purple light, that burst into the overlay network. A blast of red light then appeared as Shay's new monster took form.

"Terror of the skies!" said Shay. "Predator of blazing force! With wings that slash and talons that tear! Rise up, Raidraptor-Blaze Falcon!"

Shay's new XYZ monster then appeared (atk1000/def200). With a screech, it faced down Stacy and Reggie's monsters.

"Oh please." said Stacy. "That monster is weaker than your last one. Don't bother trying to scare us with that."

"You should be scared." said Shay. "And soon you'll find out why. But first, I use the last overlay unit of one of my Force Strix's to add Raidraptor-Singing Lanius to my hand."

Shay's new monster is then added to his hand.

"I then special summon Singing Lanius." said Shay. "And by doing that, my Force Strix's gain 500 more atk points."

Singing Lanius (atk100/def1800) then appeared with a little chirp. This increases Shay's Force Strix's atk to 1600.

"I then summon Raidraptor-Retrofit Lanius." said Shay. "And when I use Retrofit Lanius to XYZ summon, it can count as two monsters. Now, I use Retrofit Lanius to build the overlay network!"

Retrofit Lanius then turned into purple light as it shot into the overlay network. Lightning then burst out as Shay's new monster appeared.

"Blaze with crimson light!" said Shay. "Set flame your thirsting blade to light the skies! I XYZ summon, Raidraptor-Blade Burner Falcon!"

With a mighty screech, Shay's new XYZ monster soared into the air (atk1000/def1000).

"Time to end this!" said Shay. "First, I attack with Blaze Falcon, which can attack you directly! Go, Electrostatic Volt!"

Reggie ran to find an action card, with Shay close behind. The two of them managed to find one at the same time.

"I play Attack Restriction." said Reggie. "Now, your monster can only hurt me if it has 2000 or more atk points."

"I activate the Action Spell, Extreme Sword!" said Shay. "This increases Blaze Falcon's atk by 1000, which means he can continue his attack!"

Blaze Falcon's atk rose to 2000 as it rammed into Reggie, lowering his life points to 2000.

"Blaze Falcon's effect then activates." said Shay. "When it inflicts damage to my opponent, I can destroy one monster they control."

Blaze Falcon's wings then opened up as missiles shot out of it. Stacy then ran for Action Card, grabbing it and playing it.

"I use the Action Spell, Detour." said Stacy. "This negates your monsters effect and hits you for 500 points of damage."

The missiles then changed direction and blasted Shay. Shay's life points then dropped to 3500.

"Fine by me." said Shay. "I use Blaze Falcon's special ability. I detach an overlay unit to destroy your monsters and inflict 500 points of damage to each of you for each one destroyed!"

Blaze Falcon then dispatched an overlay unit as little machines flew out of it. The machines then fired green lasers at Reggie and Stacy, destroying their monsters. Reggie's life points then lowered to 1000 while Stacy's lowered to 3000.

"I then activate the trap, Birds of a Feather!" said Shay. "While I control five Raidraptor monsters on my field, you can't destroy any of them with card effects this battle. Now, go my Raidraptors! Full scale attack!"

Reggie and Stacy screamed as the rest of Shay's monsters soared at them. They hit the two of them with a mighty crash. When the dust settled, Reggie and Stacy layed down, their life points at zero.

"What a waste of time." said Shay.

"Not bad there son." Eric smiled.

"Look, I've been here long enough." said Shay, walking away.

"You may think it was a waste of time." Eric smirked silently to himself as he watched Shay walk away. "But it wasn't for me."

* * *

The doors to the elevator opened as Shay walked out. He then turned to walk through a set of large doors, which led to Declan's office. Declan, along with several other people, were already inside.

Shay recognized all of them. Sora was leaning on the wall, sucking on a lollipop. On either side of Declan's desk was Moon Shadow and his brother, Sun Shadow. Sun Shadow looked nearly identical to Moon Shadow, except his hair was light brown and he had red clothing instead of blue. Standing by the window staring out into the city was Dennis.

Shay stared down Dennis. Dennis McField had bright curly red hair hanging down to his chin in crumpled spikes, green eyes, and a beauty mark below his right eye. He wore an odd ensemble of clothes, a long-sleeved blue collared shirt with a purple bow tie around his neck, and an orange jacket on top of that, which was missing the right sleeve and with a shortened hang on the right side, as well as a black glove on his left hand, and dark pants and red shoes.

Dennis turned to Shay and smiled warmly. However, he then noticed the expression on Shay's face and turned away nervously.

"Good to see you are all here." said Declan. "We just have to wait for one more."

The doors then opened again. Shay watched as a young man entered. Shay didn't remember his name, but he knew he was a student at the Leo Institute.

"Good to see you here Ravenwood." said Declan.

"I hope I'm not late." said Kev, bowing to Declan.

"You're right on time." said Declan. "Now then, we have much to discuss."

"So what's this about?" Shay asked.

"Recruitment." said Declan.

"Recruitment?" Sora asked.

"Yes." said Declan. "It's time for the Lancers to expand our ranks."

"Really?" Dennis asked. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." said Declan. "Right now, we are at peace. And I see no reason as to why it won't stay that way. However, though a reason may not be present, that doesn't mean it isn't possible. We need to prepare for such measures."

"What about Obelisk Force?" Sora asked. "Or New Domino's Sector Security?"

"They are not our responsibility." said Declan. "They are certainly helpful, but they have their own duties to fulfill. No, we need to recruit free duelists and strong duelists, just like we did before. That is why I intend to host another Battle Royale. And, with the exception of Ravenwood and Sun Shadow, I desire that Lancers to assist with this endeavor."

"How?" Shay asked.

"Simple." said Declan. "You all will duel with the participants to test them. By dueling you and each other, we can see their strengths and weakness, which will allow us to determine potential new members, such as Ravenwood and Sun Shadow."

"I see." said Moon Shadow.

"I won't let you down Declan." said Kev. "I'll make it through the Battle Royale."

"I hope you do." said Declan. "Because it won't be easy. A small band of Obelisk Force members have agreed to help us as well."

"With what?" Shay asked.

"Extra security." said Declan. "Just in case."

"Right." said Shay skeptically.

"Now, if you would all be so kind as to spread the word." said Declan. "I intend on the event to happen in two weeks. I'll be sending invitations as well soon."

Everyone nodded as Declan showed them where they were assigned. Shay was going to contact Gong first, then go with Dennis and Sora to promote the Battle Royale in the park. As he left with Dennis and Sora, Shay couldn't help but feel that there was more to this than met the eye. After all, Declan had a track record for keeping details away from people.

 _What are you up to Declan?_ Shay asked himself.

* * *

In the dimension of pure whiteness, a masked figure was looking down into a chasm, which lead to the creature trapped within the orb. The monster roared in rage as small glowing lights entered the force field, which were then absorbed by the monster.

The masked figure had a long, deep black cloak that covered his body. His face was completely covered by the mask. The mask had no mouthpiece, but it did have eye-holes with the infinity symbol around it. Dark red eyes glowed through the mask. A hand came out of the sleeve of the robes, a blackened hand.

"Soon, master." said the masked being. "I know you grow impatient. But soon, your revival shall come."

"Master." said someone behind the masked man.

The masked man turned to see the blue haired man that attack Riley bowing before him.

"Have you fulfilled your task?" the masked man asked.

"No." said the blue haired man. "There was an altercation. I will be returning soon."

"Bring some troops with you when you do." said the masked man. "I sense we may have an opportunity on our hands."

"Is that so?" the blue haired man asked.

"I would not be surprised if they have a trap laid out for us." said the masked man. "Hoping to weaken us. But we are legion. We are strong. So, we shall take their bait."

"As you wish." said the blue haired man.

The blue haired man then disappeared. A moment later, four more people appeared.

One was an old man in robes like the masked man. The robes covered everything except for part of his mouth and his chin. His body was beyond old and wrinkling, almost like it was decaying.

One was a beautiful woman. Unlike her comrades, her skin was a pale blue. She had bright white eyes with no pupils and silver hair. She wore an elegant, dark blue dress. She also wore bright golden earings and rings on her fingers.

The third person was massive. He was at least seven feet tall and wore black armor with long, sharp shoulder pads. He had a short, scruffy black beard and fierce eyes.

The last was a thin man with a wicked, mischievous smile. He had a long pointed nose and wore a red and black jester like outfit. His hair was messy and twisted, like he never combed it.

"Our master's patience grows thin." the large man said in a booming voice.

"Patience." said the woman in a smooth, silky voice.

"Hehehehe." said the scruffy haired man. "Our master no longer has patience. He's been stuck for billions of years after all."

"The time will soon come." said the old man in a raspy voice. "And when he returns, he will purge all universes. None will survive."

"Indeed." said the masked man. "What of our champions, Fujakion? How are they progressing with our tasks?"

"My champion is doing well." said the old man, Fujakion. "Then again, his psychic abilities already gave him great strength."

"Dear Adrian is doing his part." said the woman. "He's already wiped out one dimension in merely a day."

"My champion is preparing his armies." said the large man. "He has already brought with him a colonel and some doctor to assist."

"And mine is still scouting dimensions." said the messy haired man. "But I'm sure you and your champion knew that already, right Fukion?"

"Indeed." said the masked man, Fukion. "The dimension he is in seeks to fight back. I doubt they will stand a chance."

"I am troubled by this." said the large man. "Astrograph Sorcerer is supposed to be there, correct."

"He is weakened, Tsyesion." said Fujakion. "The one known as Zarc used up his power. For now, Astrograph Sorcerer is no threat to us."

"However, he will still be retrieved." said Fukion. "My champion shall see to that. We will also get the souls of Zarc and Ray Akaba. Our master will be pleased to gain their power."

"Yes." said Fujakion. "Especially because it is a power that Zarc stole."

"Then we steal it back." said the woman. "Simple as that."

"Let us return to our duties." said Fukion. "We still have much to accomplish."

All five of them nodded before disappearing. As they did, the monster below let out another thunderous roar.


	15. Chapter 15

Episode 15: Doubts Part 1

Henrietta Akaba walked inside of the You Show Duel school, looking around for people. She saw that everyone was in the classroom as Skip was giving a lecture. It was on Counter Traps.

"Counter Traps can only be used to stop another action." said Skip. "They can negate effects, summons, and sometimes both depending on the card. Counter Traps-"

Skip was interrupted though by Henrietta knocking at the door.

"Oh, Mrs. Akaba." said Skip. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to have a word with you and your daughter." said Henrietta. "Is Yusho here as well?"

"He should be here soon." said Skip.

Skip and Zuzu got up and left the room. They followed Henrietta to Skip's office and waited for Yusho. Ten minutes later, Yusho walked in.

"Ah, hello there Henrietta." said Yusho. "What brings you by?"

"Declan is holding an event." said Henrietta. "An event you all might be interested in."

"What sort of event?" Zuzu asked.

"A Battle Royale." said Henrietta. "To determine the next group of Lancers."

"What?" Skip asked. "More Lancers?"

"Yes." said Henrietta. "Duelists young and old will be invited to participate. It will be a grand event, much like the Junior Arc League Championship."

"Why?" Zuzu asked. "Why are you recruiting more Lancers?"

"One can never be too careful." said Henrietta. "Besides, the Lancers won't be around forever. We need to expand, to be stronger."

"I'm not sure I agree." said Yusho. "You know my stance on fighting."

"I know." said Henrietta. "But I still think you should participate. It's a good way to spread your dueltaining."

"I suppose." Yusho pondered.

"Well, I'm gonna pass." said Skip.

"You are?" Zuzu asked.

"I know I'm not good enough to join the Lancers." said Skip. "I'd just get in the way."

"If you're sure." said Henrietta. "Zuzu, Yusho?"

"I'll give it some thought." said Yusho. "When is the event?"

"In a couple weeks." said Henrietta. "However, Zuzu, you may not need to participate."

"Why not?" Zuzu asked.

"Declan wanted to extend an invitation to join the Lancers." said Henrietta. "You've already been a big help to them in the past. Declan would be honored to have you on the Lancers."

"I'm touched." said Zuzu. "But I want to prove myself. So, I'd like to decline and enter the Battle Royale instead."

"As you wish." said Henrietta. She then got up to leave. "Yusho, can you give me your response by next week?"

"Of course." said Yusho.

"Then I bid you all adieu." said Henrietta.

She then departed from the school, leaving everyone in thought.

* * *

Dennis currently stood before the leader of the Bandit Warrior Academy, Ryozan Godagawa. The man had a large scar on his forehead in the shape of an X. He had long gray hair and beard and wore a swamp green kimono.

"A Battle Royale?" Ryozan asked.

"Indeed." Dennis smiled. "Declan would love for you and your students to participate. The Lancers are recruiting after all. Think of the publicity if some of your students could become Lancers."

"Indeed." said Ryozan, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "I will think on this matter. Let Declan know that I am interested."

"Will do." said Dennis.

He then bowed to Ryozan and walked out. He walked across the yard of the Bandit Warrior Academy. He was then intercepted by one of the students named Nagi. He was a tall boy with a long black braided ponytail. He had slanted eyes and wore a blue Bandit Academy uniform that had its sleeves ripped.

"You've got some nerve coming here." said Nagi.

"I'm here on business." said Dennis casually.

At the last ARC-League Championship, Dennis had stepped in during a duel between Nagi, another student named Taka, and Yuya. This allowed Yuya and Dennis to win the duel.

"Now then, my business is done." said Dennis. "So, if you don't mind, I'd like to le-"

However, Dennis was interrupted when he had to duck. The student, Taka, had tried to kick Dennis from behind. Taka was shorter than Nagi and wore a yellow Bandit Academy martial arts uniform. He also had glasses and wore a red cap that had ears resembling a teddy bear.

Dennis ducked Taka's kick while Nagi tried to knee him in the face. Dennis blocked it, then elbowed Taka in the gut. He then pushed Nagi aside and kicked him in the face.

The two students caught their breath and then stared down Dennis, getting into fighting positions. Dennis readied himself, prepared to fight back.

"That's enough!" a teacher shouted.

The boys then relaxed and Nagi stepped aside to let Dennis go. Dennis then walked away.

"Don't think you're safe McField." said Nagi. "You and Yuya are gonna get it."

"Then save it for the Battle Royale." said Dennis as he left. "See you then, boys."

Dennis then walked out as the doors closed behind him. He began to walk down the stairs when he heard a rustle in the trees above him. He looked up as a purple haired blur sped past through the branches. Dennis smiled, then ruffled through his vest. He pull out an envelope, which had an invitation to the Battle Royale in it. He then dropped it on the ground and walked away.

* * *

Shay and Sora awaited outside of the stadium from the Leo Institute. They had just delivered invitations to a group of duelists. Shay had given invitations to duelists like Reed Pepper and Trout, while Sora asked around Duel Academy and the Leo Institute. They now awaited Dennis, who was most likely finishing his rounds.

"Man, this is gonna be neat." Sora smiled. "Having some new recruits."

"I guess." said Shay.

"Wonder who's gonna make it." said Sora.

"Who knows." said Shay. "They better be more bearable that than some of our other members."

"What's that mean?" Sora asked.

"Not important." said Shay.

Dennis then arrived. He gave the two of them a friendly wave. Sora waved back while Shay simply scowled.

"Well, that's the end of that for now." said Dennis. "Better report to Declan."

"You two aren't going anywhere." said Shay.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Follow me." said Shay.

Dennis and Sora looked at each other, confused. They then followed Shay into the stadium.

They walked into the center where the ARC system was. Shay stopped and looked at them.

"It's time you two earned your place." said Shay.

"What do you mean?" Dennis asked.

"In my opinion, you two haven't paid for your sins." said Shay. "I think it's time you did. And I intend to be your judge, jury, and executioner."

"Why?" Sora asked. "Declan trusts us."

"You don't need to prove your worth to him." said Shay. "It's to me."

Sora and Dennis looked at Shay, the fury in the duelist's eye. They then nodded and Sora stepped forward.

"Me first then." said Sora.

"Works for me." said Shay. "You've already started to change Sora. For that, I'm grateful. Besides, you and I are currently one and one. It's time to fix that."

"Sure thing." Sora smiled.

They then activated their duel disks as Dennis took a seat in the stands.

"Generating, Action Field." a female voice sounded out. "Peaceful Field."

A beautiful field appeared before them. It was enchanting as a breeze flowed through the air. Action Cards then burst into the field, scattering into the tall grass.

"Let's duel!" The two of them said.

"I'll start." said Sora. "I'll start by playing Polymerization. I fuse Fluffal Bear with Edge Imp Sabres."

Sora's monsters then began to swirl together, forming Sora's new monster.

"Edge of sharpness and fury of bear!" said Sora. "When the two come together, you had better beware! I Fusion summon, Frightfur Bear!"

Sora's new monster formed (atk2200/def1800), staring down Shay.

"I then lay a face-down and end my turn." said Sora.

"My turn then." said Shay. "I draw. I summon Raidraptor-Skull Eagle. I then play Raidraptor-Call. This allows me to summon another Raidraptor monster with the same name as the one on my field. So, I summon another Skull Eagle."

Shay's monsters (atk1000/def500), flew into the battle, giving out a loud excited cry.

"I then overlay my Skull Eagles." said Shay. "To build the overlay network."

The Skull Eagles then formed into purple balls of energy and went inside a black and yellow portal. Lightning then burst from the portal as Shay's monster emerged.

"Great Eagle, soar!" said Shay. "Fly into the air and strike at my foes. Make it so! I XYZ summon! Raidraptor-Fiend Eagle!"

Shay's new monster soared in (atk1000/def0), flying circles around Frightfur Bear.

"When Skull Eagle is used as an XYZ material." said Shay. "The XYZ monster gains 300 atk points. And since I used two, Fiend Eagle gains 600."

Fiend Eagles atk points then rose to 1600.

"I then use Fiend Eagle's ability." said Shay. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can pick a monster on your field and hit you for damage equal to it's atk points. Now, take this!"

Fiend Eagle then released an XYZ material and launched a ray from it's wings. Sora braced himself as his life points dropped to 1800.

"I then play two face-downs and end my turn." said Shay. "Your move."

"Then I draw." said Sora. "I'll attack with Frightfur Bear. Go, Pummeling Paw!"

Sora's monster launched it's attack, throwing a punch at Fiend Eagle.

"I activate the spell, Raidraptor-Rapid XYZ!" said Shay. "This will allow my monster to Rank-Up to an XYZ monster one rank-"

"I thought you'd pull a trick like that." said Sora. "So I play Dark Bribe. This negates your spell card and allows you to draw one card."

Shay's spell was then destroyed as he drew a new card. Sora continued his attack, destroying Fiend Eagle and lowering Shay's life points to 3400.

"Frightfur Bear's effect then activates." said Sora. "Allowing me to equip your Eagle to my Bear, which gives him 1000 atk points."

Frightfur Bear then extended it's paw into Shay's graveyard and took out his Fiend Eagle. It then ate Fiend Eagle and raised it's atk points to 3200.

"That's it for me." said Sora. "Your move."

"My move then." said Shay. "I draw. I then summon Raidraptor-Retrofit Lanius."

Retrofit Lanius flew in (atk800/def1200).

"When I XYZ summon a monster with it, it can count as two materials." said Shay. "I then special summon Raidraptor-Pain Lanius. When I do, it can take the same level as my Retrofit Lanius. However, I have to take damage equal to my Retrofit Lanius's atk points."

Pain Lanius flew down (atk100/def100) with a little chirp. It then pecked Shay, dropping his life points to 2600.

"I overlay Retrofit Lanius and Pain Lanius." said Shay.

Shay's monsters then turned into purples orbs and went inside the wormhole. Lightning burst as the Shay's new monster appeared.

"From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage." said Shay. "Talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor-Rise Falcon!"

Shay's ace monster, Rise Falcon, came in with a mighty screech (atk100/def2000).

"Ride Falcon, attack Frightfur Bear!" said Shay. "And use your special ability. By detaching one overlay unit, Rise Falcon gains the atk points of every monster on your field."

Rise Falcon used it's overlay unit, raising it's atk points to 3300. It charged Frightfur Bear, who braced itself for the attack. Sora and Shay then ran for action cards in the tall grass. However, neither could find one in time as Rise Falcon destroyed Frightfur Bear, lowering Sora's life points to 1700.

"Now, I play the spell, Rank-Up Magic, Revival Force." said Shay. "If I have an XYZ monster in my graveyard and on my field, I can use the one in my graveyard as material for an XYZ summon of a monster that is one rank higher than the one on my field. Go, Rank Up XYZ Evolution!"

Shay's Fiend Eagle then went into the Overlay Network. A burst of lightning shot out as Shay's new XYZ monster took form.

"The unseen bold falcon." said Shay. "Reveal your wings' of unknown power here and now! I XYZ Summon, Raidraptor-Stranger Falcon!"

Stranger Falcon burst in with a screech (atk2000/def2000). It then floated alongside Rise Falcon.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn." said Shay. "Your move."

"Then I draw." said Sora. "I play Fusion Recovery. This allows me to add a Polymerization and a fusion material monster from graveyard to my hand. I choose to add Edge Imp Sabres."

The cards then got out of Sora's graveyard and were added to his hand.

"I then play the spell, Fluffal Recall." said Sora. "By sending three Fluffal Monsters in my deck to the graveyard, I can draw two cards from my deck. I send two Fluffal Wings and a Fluffal Sheep."

Sora then sent his cards to the graveyard and drew two more cards from his deck.

"I now play Polymerization!" said Sora. "And fuse Edge Imp Sabres with Fluffal Penguin and Fluffal Cat!"

Sora's monsters swirled into each other, forming Sora's new monster.

"Edge of Sharpness!" said Sora. "Feathers of Penguin, and Fur of Cat. When this doll comes your way, be ready for combat! I fusion summon, Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary!"

Sora's new monster took form (atk2000/def3000). It was a giant doll. It had long blonde hair and green skin made of cloth. It wore a white cap and had razor blades for teeth. It wore a long white dress that parted in the middle. However, instead of a body underneath, there was simply a dark void.

"Ok, that's new." said Shay.

"First, Fluffal Cat's effect activates." said Sora. "Which allows me to add Polymerization back to my hand. Then, Fluffal Penguin's effect activates. This let's me draw two cards so long as I discard one."

Sora then added Polymerization back to his hand. He then drew two cards and discarded one of them.

"Now, onto Nightmary." said Sora. "You see, she gains 300 atk points for every Fairy and Fiend type monster in my graveyard. If my math is correct, I have eight, including the one I just sent to the graveyard. That raises her atk points to 4400."

A dark aura surrounded Nightmary as her atk points got higher.

"Now, attack Rise Falcon!" said Sora. "Eyes of Nightmare!"

Nightmary's eyes then glowed a bright red as a beam shot out of them.

"I use Rise Falcon's special ability." said Shay.

"Not a chance." said Sora. "I use Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary's effect. By banishing a Frightfur monster in my graveyard, I can negate your monsters effect. It may lower her atk points, but it allows her to continue her attack. Now go!"

Sora banished Edge Imp Frightfuloid from his graveyard, cancelling out Rise Falcon's ability. Shay frantically looked for an action card as Rise Falcon screeched in pain. He managed to grab one just in the nick of time.

"I play Miracle." said Shay. "This not only protects Rise Falcon, but I only take half the damage I would've taken."

Shay was sent flying as the attack landed. He and Rise Falcon fell hard on the ground as Shay's life points lowered to 600.

"I then play two face-downs and end my turn." said Sora. "You're up Shay."

Shay got back up as Rise Falcon took to the air again, joining Stranger Falcon.

"You've definitely improved." said Shay. "Especially compared to our first duel."

"I've had to." said Sora. "Competition is getting fierce, so there's no way I can afford to fall behind. Besides, just as I've needed to improve as a person, I need to improve my deck as well."

"I'm grateful you've improved." said Shay. "Now, let's see if it's enough. I draw!"

Shay looked at the card he drew. He closed his eyes briefly and then stared down Sora.

"I activate Stranger Falcon's ability!" said Shay. "By removing one overlay unit, I can destroy Nightmary and hit you for damage equal to her original atk points."

"I use Nightmary's ability." said Sora. "I banish Frightfur Bear to protect her from your Falcon's effect."

Nightmary glowed black as Stranger Falcon sent a blast at her. The blast was deflected and Nightmary's atk lowered to 3800.

"I then use Rank-Up Magic Raid Force." said Shay, using the spell card in his hand. "This ranks up my XYZ monster one rank higher. I rebuild the overlay network with Stranger Falcon!"

Stranger Falcon then went inside the overlay network. Lightning shot out as Shay's new monster appeared.

 _A rank six._ Sora thought to himself. _I'm pretty sure I know what's coming. Luckily, I'm well prepared._

"The fiercest falcon takes flight!" said Shay. "Let the bombardment rain down as it strikes from the air on it's ill fated foe. Go, rank-up XYZ evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor-Revolution Falcon-Airraid!"

Revolution Falcon Airraid appeared, letting out a metallic screech (atk2000/def3000). This was one of Shay's best monsters, albeit a different version.

"Well, well, this is new." said Sora.

"You aren't the only one with new tricks." said Shay. "I use Airraid's ability. When it's summoned, it can destroy one monster on the field and inflict damage equal to it's atk points. Now, eliminate Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary. High Blitzing Bombardment!"

Revolution Falcon Airraid flew high into the air. It then dropped missiles onto Nightmary.

"I use the trap, Frightfur Defender!" said Sora, using one of his face-downs. "This protects Nightmary and gives her an extra 800 atk points."

The missiles landed on Nightmary, exploding on impact. However, the monster was unscathed as it's atk points rose to 4600.

"Then I atk with Revolution Falcon Airraid!" said Shay. "And use the trap, Raidraptor Protection. By tributing one Raidraptor XYZ monster on my field, I take no damage from this battle!"

Revolution Falcon Airraid charged Nightmary. It landed into Nightmary and exploded on impact. Before he could take damage however, Rise Falcon flew above Shay, burst into flames, and protected Shay.

"I then use Airraid's effect!" said Shay. "When it's destroyed, I can special summon Raidraptor-Revolution Falcon from my extra deck using Airraid as it's material!"

The original Revolution Falcon then appeared (atk2000/def3000). Airraid then turned into a purple orb and surrounded Revolution Falcon, becoming it's XYZ material.

"Now, Revolution Falcon, attack!" said Shay. "And use your special ability! When he attacks a monster with higher atk, that monster's atk becomes zero!"

Sora and Shay then ran for an action card. They both found one at the same time.

"I play, Evasion!" said Sora. "Allowing me to negate your attack."

"I play Battle Burner!" said Shay. "When you negate my attack, this allows me to attack again!"

Sora then grabbed another action card nearby.

"I play Great Escape!" said Sora. "Ending the battle phase."

"I don't think so." said Shay. "I use the trap, Raptor's Gust. Since I control a Raidraptor monster, your spell card is negated!"

The battle continued. Revolution Falcon charged Dangerous Frightfur Nightmary, lowering it's atk points to zero.

"You fought well Sora." said Shay. "It just wasn't enough."

"I guess not." said Sora. "But just because I can't win this, doesn't mean I'm gonna let you."

"What?" Shay asked.

"I play the trap, Frightfur Mirror Barrier!" said Sora. "When a Frightfur monster is the target for an atk, it isn't destroyed by battle. Plus, we both take the battle damage I would receive from the battle!"

Revolution Falcon rammed into Nightmary. Neither monster was destroyed, but both Sora and Shay felt the impact. Their life points then dropped to zero. It was a draw.

The field then disappeared as Sora and Shay approached each other. They then shook hands with a smile.

"Good duel Sora." said Shay. "Let's settle this another time."

"Of course." said Sora. "Now, good luck against Dennis. I'll be watching."

Shay nodded and then looked at Dennis. The dueltainer had been watching the entire duel, his expression unreadable.

"I'm ready when you are." said Shay with a frown. "It's time for you to pay your dues Dennis."

Dennis got up and looked at Shay, an eager but solemn expression on his face.

"Let's do this." said Dennis.


	16. Chapter 16

Episode 16: Doubts Part 2

"Now, go, Black Tyranno." said Henshuta. "Attack Yuya directly!"

A massive dinosaur charged Yuya (atk2600/def1800), who quickly ran away as he dodged other obstacles.

"I activate the trap, Odd-Eyes Call!" said Yuya. "By discarding one Odd-Eyes monster from my hand, I can special summon another Odd-Eyes monster from my deck. I discard Performapal Odd-Eyes Minitaurus to summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

The dinosaur then stops in its tracks as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (atk2500/def2000) appears before it. The dragon roared at the dinosaur, who roared right back.

The Black Tyranno continued it's attack. Yuya then dodged another obstacle, a log swinging down towards him. Yuya then grabbed an action card nearby.

"I play High Dive!" said Yuya. "This gives my dragon an extra 1000 atk points."

Yuya's dragon roared as it's atk rose to 3500. It then attacked Black Tyranno with it's Spiral Flame Strike.

"And when Odd-Eyes battles a level five or higher monster." said Yuya, skidding past his last obstacle. "The damage dealt to you is doubled!"

Black Tyranno was then destroyed, hitting Henshuta for 1800 points of damage and lowering his life points to zero.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Sylvio was dueling Kiori.

"Rose tentacles, attack!" Kiori shouted. "Take out his Abyss Actor-Sassy Rookie!"

The monster, a massive rose-squid (atk2200/def1200), swung one of it's tentacles. Sylvio was managed to grab an action card, but not before Sassy Rookie was wiped out, lowering his life points to 200.

"Rookie's effect activates." said Sylvio. "When he is destroyed, I can bring out an Abyss Actor from my deck. I choose Abyss Actor-Curtain Raiser."

Curtain Raiser then appeared, doing a little twirl. Since Curtain Raiser is the only monster on Sylvio's field, it's atk is doubled (atk2200/def1000).

"I end my turn." said Kiori.

"My turn then." said Sylvio. "My draw. I'll start by pendulum summoning! Monsters, emerge!"

Sylvio's monster appeared from the portal. They were Sassy Rookie (atk1700/def1000), and Abyss Actor-Superstar (atk2500/def1800). Due to more monsters being on the field, Curtain Raiser's atk points returned to 1100.

"I then activate Superstar's effect." said Sylvio. "And use it to set Abyss Script-Final Act, which I'm going to activate right now. This spell gives one Abyss Actor monster on my field an attack for every other Abyss Actor I control. In this case, it will be Superstar, who can attack twice!"

"I counter with Dark Bribe!" said Kiori. "It allows you to draw one card, but in return, it negates your spell's effect."

"Nice try." said Sylvio. "But I activate the Action Card, Sound Rebound. This negates your Dark Bribe, allowing me to continue Final Act's ability. Now, Superstar, attack!"

Superstar leapt into the air, then sent a flying kick to Rose Tentacles. The monster was destroyed, reducing Kiori's life points to 2500.

"Once more, with feeling." said Sylvio. "Superstar, attack Kiori directly!"

Superstar nodded and charged Kiori, with a swift kick, Kiori fell to the ground as he life points reduced to zero.

"Are you alright?" Sylvio asked, running to help Kiori up.

"I've been hit by worse." Kiori chuckled. "Thanks."

"Excellent work." said Henshuta. "You boys are getting better by the day. I couldn't be more pleased."

"Thank you, master." Yuya and Sylvio said together, bowing.

Suddenly, a ringing came from the temple.

"What is that?" Yuya asked.

"Oh, that would be the phone." said Henshuta.

"Wait, you've had a phone this whole time?" Sylvio asked.

"Well, of course." said Henshuta. "What, you think we live in the stone age?"

"But why didn't you say anything?" Sylvio asked.

"You never asked." said Henshuta. "Plus, my number is unlisted. Only certain people know about it. Helps get rid of telemarketers."

Henshuta chuckled and then went inside. He stepped into his room and picked up the landline next to his bed.

"Hello?" Henshuta said.

"Master?" the voice at the other end said. "It is Declan."

"Ah, my pride and joy student." said Henshuta. "How are you?"

"I'm well." said Declan. "How are Yuya and Sylvio progressing?"

"Excellent." said Henshuta. "You've sent me some fine lads, I must say. They've already progressed to phase two of the training."

"Well, I'm afraid their training will have to be cut short." said Declan. "I need them, immediately."

"Eh?" Henshuta. "But they still have a long way to go."

"I am aware." said Declan. "But I'm afraid that I have greater need of them. I'm sorry, master, but you know I would not make this request if it were not urgent."

"Hm." said Henshuta. "Yes, I suppose not. Hm. Very well. I'll let them know and see if I can get a ferry."

"That won't be necessary." said Declan. "I'll have a ship on the way. It should be there by evening. Claude will be there as well to update Yuya and Sylvio as well."

"Alright." said Henshuta. "I'll let them know."

"Thank you, master." said Declan.

The phone then clicked. Henshuta put it down and walked back outside, ready to tell the boys the news.

* * *

Dennis and Shay faced each other, ready for their duel. Sora watched from the stands, an eager look on his face.

"Generating, action field." the female voice said. "Heartland City."

The field then changed to the colorful, vibrant Heartland City. At least, the Heartland City Shay knew before the invasion. Though much has been repaired, it did not look the same as it did on this field.

"Duel!" Shay and Dennis said together.

"I'll start." said Shay. "I summon Raidraptor-King Lanius to the field."

King Lanius flew in (atk1300/def0). It let out a shriek.

"I then use King Lanius' ability to summon Raidraptor-Rudder Strix." said Shay

Rudder Strix flew in, spinning around the field (atk0/def1600).

"When Rudder Strix is summoned, it inflicts 300 points of damage to my opponent." said Shay.

Rudder Strix opened its mouth, shooting a beam of light at Dennis. It hit Dennis, who flinched as his life points dropped to 3700.

"I then play one card facedown and end my turn." said Shay.

"My turn." said Dennis. "I draw!"

"What's with the serious face, Dennis?" Shay asked. "You usually have that obnoxious smirk."

"I set my pendulum scale." said Dennis, ignoring Shay's remark. "With scale three Performage Bonus Dealer and scale six Performage Fire Dancer."

The monsters then appeared in Dennis's pendulum shown as his duel disk lit up with the word PENDULUM.

"I pendulum summon!" said Dennis. "Come forth, my beautiful performers. Performage Trick Clown, Performage Mirror Conductor, and Performage Water Dancer."

Dennis's monsters all appeared from the Pendulum portal. Trick Clown (atk1600/def1200) gave a chuckle as he balanced on a little ball. Mirror Conductor (atk600/def1400) gave a twirl as his mirror shined. Water Dancer (atk1200/def1400) did a little dance as she twirled her staff.

"Bonus Dealer's effect activates." said Dennis. "When I pendulum summon three or more Performage monsters, I can draw two cards."

Dennis drew his cards and looked at them carefully.

 _Something is off._ Shay thought to himself. _This idiot is usually more bubbly and annoying than this, even when he's being serious._

"I then play Magic Gate of Miracles." said Dennis. "Since I control two or more spellcasters on the field, I can switch one of your monsters to defense mode, then take control of it. I choose your Rudder Strix."

A gate then appeared on each side of the field. They both opened at the same time as a pair of gloved hands reach out and grabbed Rudder Strix. The hands then pulled the monster into the gate, which closed on Shay's side. The glove hands then appeared on Dennis's side and gently put Rudder Strix on his side of the field.

"I then overlay all four of my monsters." said Dennis. "To build the overlay network!"

All four monster turned into bright orbs of light, descending into the overlay network. Lightning burst as Dennis's new monster took form.

"Come forth and bring your spectacle to the crowd!" said Dennis. "Show them your magic and splendor. I XYZ summon, Performage Highwire Magician!"

Dennis's monster appeared, swinging a large balancing stick (atk2550/def2100). This monster was similar to Trapeze Magician, except it didn't have a cape and it's mask was green instead of red.

"Highwire Magician can attack up to the number of overlay units it currently has." said Dennis. "Since it has four, it can attack up to four times. Now, Highwire Magician, attack! Take out his King Lanius!"

"I activate the trap, Adversity." said Shay. "Now my King Lanius can't be destroyed. I also take no damage and King Lanius's atk rises to 2300."

King Lanius let out a shriek as it's atk raised. It was then smacked in the head by Highwire Magician's balancing stick, but stood it's ground.

"Then I'll have Highwire Magician attack again!" said Dennis.

Highwire Magician gave another spin of it's balancing stick and thwacked King Lanius again. This time, the monster was sent flying, destroying it and lowing Shay's life points to 3750.

"Highwire Magician, attack Shay directly!" said Dennis.

"No chance." said Shay. "I special summon Raidraptor-Protector Lanius from my hand. This monster can only be special summoned while I control no other cards on the field, and, when it's summoned, it ends the battle phase!"

Shay's new monster flew in (atk1500/def1100). It sent out an ear splitting screech. Both Dennis and Highwire Magician clasped their hands to their ears to try and lessen the pain.

"I then play two facedowns and end my turn." said Dennis. "And when my turn ends, my Highwire Magician's effect activates."

Suddenly, poles shot out of the air, connected by a rope. Highwire Magician carefully walked on the rope, trying to balance on it.

"What is this?" Shay asked.

"I have to make a choice." said Dennis. "You see, at the end of each turn, Highwire Magician has to detach one overlay unit to stay on the field. If he doesn't, he's destroyed."

Highwire Magician then began to lose it's balance.

"I detach one overaly unit to keep Highwire Magician on the field." said Dennis.

One of Highwire's overlay units then detached itself as Highwire absorbed. It then regained it's balance as it completed it's walk on the tightrope, bowing to Shay once it made it to the other side.

 _Interesting._ Shay said to himself. _Highwire Magician can only stay on the field as long as it has overlay units. And, now that it's lost one, it can now only attack three times._

"What are you playing at Dennis?" Shay asked. "I know you. This is hardly your best."

"I am giving you my best." said Dennis.

"No you're not." said Shay. "For starters, this monster is hardly your best. For another, you don't have that stupid pizazz you always put into you're duels."

"This isn't for show." said Dennis. "This is serious business. I'm not here to entertain, I'm here to prove myself."

"Is that so?" Shay asked.

"Like you said, you don't trust me." said Dennis. "You don't trust me as a person. You don't trust me as a duelist. You don't trust me as an ally. And it's painfully obvious you hate my dueltaining, so I'm gonna show you I can duel without it."

"Oh, really?" Shay asked.

"Really." said Dennis. "I've done so many things to hurt people. You especially. I allowed the invasion of the Fusion Dimension. I sold your sister out. I betrayed people who considered me a friend. I'm the catalyst that caused everything and don't try to convince me otherwise."

Dennis closed his eyes, a tear going down his face.

"Believe it or not Shay, it broke my heart to betray the Lancers." said Dennis. "All I ever wanted was to make people happy and laugh, to be the greatest dueltainer of all time. And I still want that. But you're right, I need to earn that chance again, with all of the people I'm going to be allies with. That's why I'm taking this duel seriously. That's why I'm not giving you any fancy theatrics or stupid stunts. No, this a duel to prove myself to you and to others who doubt me."

"You idiot." said Shay. "The only thing that you're proving to me is that you're a kiss-up. And that's not gonna get you anywhere with me. But don't take my word for it. Now then, I draw!"

Shay then drew his card and looked at it.

"I activate the spell, Raidraptor-Flock." said Shay. "Since I control a Raidraptor monster and no other cards are on my field, I can special summon a Raidraptor from my deck. I special summon, Raidraptor-Retrofit Lanius!"

Shay's new monster flew in (atk800/def1200) and landed next to Protector Lanius.

"I now build the overly network." said Shay. "With Protect and Retrofit Lanius. And when Retrofit Lanius is used for an XYZ summon, it can count as two monsters."

Shay's monsters then turned into dark lights and went inside the black and yellow portal. Lighting then shot out as his new monster appeared.

"From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage." said Shay. "Talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor-Rise Falcon!"

Rise Falcon flew down, it's screech echoing around the arena (atk100/def2000)

"I then activate the spell, Raidraptor-Hatchlings." said Shay. "This allows me to add Hatchling Tokens to your side of the field while I control a Raidraptor XYZ monster. And since you have four open spaces, I give you four tokens. This also allows me to draw cards equal to the number of tokens summoned to your side of the field."

Four Hatchling Tokens then appeared on Dennis's field (atk500/def300). Shay then drew four more cards.

"I'm sure you know what happens next." said Shay. "Rise Falcon, attack! Ravaging Rebellion!"

Rise Falcon charged at one of the Hatchling Tokens. It then detached an overlay unit, allowing it's atk to rise to 4650, the combined attack of all of Dennis's monsters.

"I use the trap, Call of the Earthbound." said Dennis. "This allows me to redirect your monster's attack. And I'm redirecting it to Performage Highwire Magician."

Rise Falcon then changed it's direction and went straight for Highwire Magician.

"I use Highwire's ability." said Dennis. "By detaching on overlay unit, I prevent it's destruction."

Highwire detached an overlay unit, then twirled it's staff. Rise Falcon rammed into Highwire, but the monster remained unscathed.

"You still take the damage!" said Shay.

Dennis flinched as the debris from Rise Falcon's attack hit him. His life points then lowered to 1600.

"I then activate the trap, Next in Show." said Dennis. "If a Performage monster on my field isn't destroyed in battle, I can end the battle phase. However, I have to tribute a Performage monster on my field, and, if it's an XYZ monster, I take 500 points of damage."

A dark purple seal appears under Highwire Magician. Highwire Magician then gets sent to the graveyard. Yellow lightning then bursts from the portal, shocking Dennis. His life points then lowered to 1100.

"I play two face-downs and end my turn." said Shay. "The effect of Raidraptor-Hatchlings then activates. The Hatchling Tokens on your field are destroyed and I have to send an equal amount of cards to the graveyard from my hand or the top of my deck. Since you still controlled four, I send four cards from my deck to the graveyard."

The Hatchlings Tokens destroy themselves. Shay then takes the top four cards of the his deck and puts them in the graveyard.

"Get a grip, Dennis!" Shay said fiercely. "I know you can duel better than this! And you don't duel well when you play serious!"

"You want to trust me though, don't you?" Dennis asked.

"To be frank, I don't care either way." said Shay. "But it's obvious you want to earn my respect and I'm willing to give anyone a chance to do so, even those I don't want to be around. And if you want my respect, duel the way you know how, not the way you think I want you too. So stop fooling around and duel me!"

"Yeah, c'mon Dennis!" Sora shouted from the stands. "Give'em a show!"

Dennis looked at Shay and Sora. He then took a deep breath and began to run. He frantically looked around, until he saw an Action Card near a park bench. Shay shot after him, but Dennis made it first.

"I use the Action Spell, Full House!" said Dennis. "When a monster leaves my field, I can draw cards up to the level or rank of the monster. Since my Highwire Magician was a rank four monster, I can draw four cards. However, I take 100 points of damage for each card drawn."

Dennis drew his four cards. He then gets electrocuted as his life points lower to 700.

"My turn." Dennis smiled. "I draw!"

Dennis looked at cards, a twinkle in his eye.

"You wanted a show, Shay." said Dennis. "I'll give you one. But what's a show without performers. Let's fix that, shall we? And we'll fix it, with a pendulum summon!"

The pendulum portal then appeared as three monsters shot out of it.

"Taking center stage." said Dennis. "We have Performage Ball Balancer, Performage Hat Tricker, and Performage Filmsy Slimmer."

Each monster appeared. Ball Balancer (atk1000/def1800) rolled around on it's ball, Hat Tricker (atk1100/def1100) gave a little tip of it's hat, and Filmsy Slimmer (atk100/def1200) gave a little cackle.

"I then summon, the star of this performance, Performage String Figure." said Dennis.

String Figure (atk0/def0) came onto the field, a huge grin on it's face.

"Now, since I just special summoned three monsters." said Dennis. "Bonus Dealer allows me to draw two cards. I then overlay level four Filmsy Slimmer and Ball Balancer!"

The two monsters then formed into orange balls of light as they entered the overlay network.

"Com forth, my artisan of the air!" said Dennis. "Swing across the stage with grace! I XYZ Summon! Appear now, Peformage Trapeze Magician!"

Dennis's ace monster (atk2500/def2000), swings down onto the field, a joyful grin on it's face.

"But I'm not done there." said Dennis. "What's a magician without his lovely assistant? And I'll be bringing out my Trapeze Magician's partner in crime, by way of a fusion summon. And who better than to fuse Performage Hat Tricker with Performage String Figure by using String Figure's special ability."

Hat Tricker and String Figure then formed into a swirl of purple and orange as they formed into a new monster.

"Let your magic and majesty mix, mingle, merge and become one!" said Dennis. "Become one with the power to both delight and destroy! I Fusion Summon! Come on down, Performage Trapeze Witch!"

Performage Trapeze Witch flies in next to Trapeze Magician (atk2400/def1800). The two nod and then face down Rise Falcon.

"I then use the equip spell, Ringmaster Wand." said Dennis. "And equip it to Trapeze Magician. Now, when he attacks, the special abilities of your monsters are negated. I also equip Trapeze Witch with Ancient Gear Mask. This protects her from being destroyed once per turn, plus you can't play any spells or traps when she attacks. And don't bother putting monsters in defense position either, cause she can inflict piercing damage!"

Trapeze Magician is given a staff with an amber jewel on top, while a mechanical mask is placed onto Trapeze Witch.

"Now then, Trapeze Magician, attack!" said Dennis. "And thanks to it's special ability, it can attack twice this turn by detaching one overlay unit!"

Trapeze Magician turns it's staff into a trapeze. It then swings towards Rise Falcon, detaching an overlay unit.

"Oh, and how rude of me." said Dennis. "I almost forgot to include Trapeze Witch's effect. When a Performage monster I control attacks, I can lower the attack of my opponent's monster by 600."

Stars then shot out of Trapeze Witch, hitting Rise Falcon and lowering it's atk to zero.

"Nice try Dennis." said Shay. "But I activate the spell, Rank-up Magic Escape Force. This allows me to negate your attack and rank-up my monster to a Raidraptor XYZ monster that's one rank higher!"

"Now, normally you would." Dennis smiled. "Except I knew you would do that. In fact, I already planned for it. I activate the trap, A Trick Too Late. While I control a Perfomage monster, I can negate the effect of one your spells or traps and destroy it. Down goes Rank-up Magic Escape Force!"

Shay's spell is destroyed as Trapeze Magician connects with Rise Falcon. Shay's monster is destroyed and his life points drop to 1250.

"One more attack, and you're done." said Dennis. "Sorry Shay, looks like I was a few two steps ahead."

"Don't pat yourself on the back yet, Dennis." said Shay.

"Huh?" Dennis said.

"You're play was clever, but I saw it coming." said Shay. "It's your own fault for not coming into this duel full force. I activate Rank-Up Magic Doom Double Force! Now since you destroyed my Rise Falcon in battle, I can bring it back and then use it to rebuild the overlay network, ranking it up to a monster that's twice it's rank."

The dark purple seal appears Rise Falcon returns. It is then turned into purple light as it enters the overlay network.

"Time to bring out the heavy artillery." said Shay. "And blast you back into oblivion. Go, Rank-Up XYZ evolution! You're clear to launch, Raidraptor-Satellite Cannon Falcon!"

Shay's new monster descends with a massive cry (atk3000/def2000).

"Hm." said Dennis. "I'm not scared. All I need to do is attack again with Trapeze Magician."

"Not gonna happen." said Shay.

The two then frantically went for action cards. Shay managed to grab one first.

"I activate the Action spell, Block Draw." said Shay. "This negates your Trapeze Magician's second attack and let's me draw one card."

Trapeze Magician seizes it's second attack as Shay draws a new card.

"Alright then." said Dennis. "I end my turn. You're move."

"Time to end this." said Shay. "I draw! And I use the spell, Rank-Up Magic Skip Force. This allows me to special summon a Raidraptor XYZ monster that is two ranks higher than the one I have on the field. I use Satellite Cannon Falcon to rebuild the overlay network!"

Satellite Cannon Falcon turns into a burst of purple light, going into the overlay network. Lightning shoots out as Shays new monster emerges.

"You've seen my Blaze, Revolution and Satellite Falcons." said Shay "But now you're going to witness the next evolutionary step in in my aerial arsenal! Go! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Rise up! Raidraptor-Ultimate Falcon!"

Ultimate Falcon descends upon the battlefield (atk3500/def2000). It lets out a deafening screech as it towers above Trapeze Magician and Trapeze Witch.

"I activate Ultimate Falcon's ability." said Shay. "It negates every face-up card on your field by detaching one of it's overlay units. On top of that, your monsters lose 1000 atk points."

Ultimate Falcon absorbs one of it's overlay units. It then glows bright gold, blinding Trapeze Magician and Trapeze Witch. Their atks are then lowered by 1000.

"Finish them off, Ultimate Falcon!" said Shay. "Go, Broadside Barrage!"

Dennis and Shay then go after an Action card. Both grab one at the same time.

"I play Evasion!" said Dennis. "This allows me to escape your attack."

"I play, No Action!" said Shay. "Negating your action card!"

Missiles launched out of Ultimate Falcon. They blasted Trapeze Magician. Dennis is sent flying as his life points drop to zero. The action field then disappears as Shay walks up to Dennis.

"Well, looks like lost." said Dennis. "As usual."

"You put up a good fight." said Shay. "A better fight than you usually do."

"Heh. You're just saying that." said Dennis. "I should have been giving it my all from the start."

"I get why you did it." said Shay. "But if you want to earn my trust, you gotta do it your way, not mine. And you know what?"

Shay then outstretched his hand. Dennis looked on in surprise.

"This duel was a good start." said Shay.

Dennis nodded and took Shay's hand, shaking it.

"Don't get the wrong impression though." said Shay. "We're not friends. And we're not gonna be friends anytime soon. However, I'm willing to put our differences aside and work together."

"I'm glad." said Dennis. "I mean it, I am."

"Good." said Shay, glancing at Sora approaching them. "Cause I have a feeling we'll need each other."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"I mean Declan is hiding something." said Shay.

"That doesn't surprise me." said Dennis. "Do you know what it could be?"

"No." said Shay. "But I've worked with Declan enough to know that it can't be anything good. So we better be prepared for anything."

* * *

"Phew." said Yuya. "The way down is certainly easier than the way up."

"No kidding." said Sylvio. "Ah, it's gonna be nice to be home."

The two of them had just gotten down the mountain, out of the temple. The sun was setting as they made their way into town. People waved hello, smiling as they passed by.

"It kinda stinks though." said Sylvio. "We didn't get to finish our training."

"We'll be back." said Yuya. "I know we will."

"Yeah, I know too." said Sylvio.

"You're just disappointed that you won't see Kiori anymore." Yuya chuckled.

"And what's wrong with that?" Sylvio asked, blushing.

"Nothing." said Yuya.

The two made it to the harbor. Their boat had not arrived yet.

"Guess we better wait." said Yuya.

"I'm sure it'll be here soon." said Sylvio.

The two sat on the dock, looking out onto the ocean. The water was peaceful. Seagulls squawked above their heads.

"I wonder why we're going back." said Sylvio.

"I dunno." said Yuya. "Must be important."

"Hey! You guys, wait up!" they heard someone shout.

The boys turned to see Kiori heading their way, backpack flailing behind her. She stopped in front of them and caught her breath.

"You guys could've waited." said Kiori. "You didn't have to start without me."

"Waited?" Yuya asked.

"Start without you?" Sylvio asked.

"Yeah." said Kiori. "I talked with grandpa and he said I could come along with you guys. That's ok, right?"

"Of course." Sylvio smiled.

"Yeah." Yuya nodded.

Kiori smiled. They then heard a boat horn and turned. The Leo Institute boat appeared on the horizon.

"Looks like it's time to go home." said Yuya.

"One can only wonder what's waiting for us there." said Sylvio.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Sorry for the lack of uploads guys. Life's been busy for me. I can't guarantee how often I'll be uploading anymore, but note that this story and this account is not dead. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really like the dynamic between Dennis and Shay, so it was cool writing a sort of closure for the two. I'm not gonna make them best buddies or anything, but at least they'll be getting along better. Chapter 17 of ARC-V2, coming soon.**


	17. Chapter 17

Episode 17: Homecoming

Yuya and Sylvio watched as Paradise city began to come into view. It had been nearly a month since they left. Yuya wondered what had happened since then.

"Home sweet home!" Sylvio said, stretching. "Ah, it's gonna feel good sleeping in my own bed again!"

"Yeah." said Yuya. "Sleeping on the floor isn't always the best after a long day."

"I keep telling grandpa to get more comfortable sleeping arrangements." said Kiori. "But he doesn't listen."

"I'll buy him better mattresses." said Sylvio. "My father can afford to spend a few extra bucks, being mayor and all."

"That would be so nice." Kiori smiled.

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes." said Claude, approaching Yuya, Sylvio, and Kiori. "Afterwards, Declan would like a word with you two."

"What about?" Yuya asked.

"There is an important event coming up." said Claude. "And he requires the two of you to perform at this event."

"Perform?" Sylvio asked. "Like, in a duel?"

"All will be revealed once we get to the Leo Institute." said Claude.

They eventually reached the port. Once they got off, Sylvio made a call to his father.

"Yes, Jordan, I know he's busy." said Sylvio. "So just let him know we're going to have some company for a little while, maybe a week or two. Yes, I'll discuss it with him later, especially if he objects. Yes, thank you Jordan."

Sylvio then hung up the phone and called a cab.

"Kiori, this is my address." said Sylvio. "Just let everyone at my house know you're my guest. They'll take care of you. I'll be there soon."

"Sure." said Kiori. "I'll see you later."

Kiori then got into the cab and drove off. A limousine then drove up in front of Yuya and Sylvio. The window lowered as Declan's face peered inside of it.

"Declan!" said Yuya.

"Mr. President." said Claude. "I thought we were going to meet you at LID?"

"I figured it would be easier this way." said Declan.

"I just sent a friend of ours on her way to my house in a cab!" said Sylvio. "And you were here this whole time?"

"My apologies." said Declan, who adjusted his glasses. "But she does not need to be privy to this sort of information. Not yet at least. Please, get in."

Yuya and Sylvio got into the back with Declan while Claude joined the driver in the front seat. The limo then moved, heading towards Yuya's house.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here." said Declan.

"That certainly crossed our minds." said Sylvio, crossing his arms.

Declan then handed them a flyer. Yuya took it and read it, Sylvio peaking over his shoulder.

"A Battle Royale." said Sylvio. "To determine the next generation of Lancers?"

"Indeed." said Declan. "I have sent invitations to all the finest duelists and institutions that are not already Lancers or affiliated with the Lancers. I believe it to be important that we expand our ranks. After the dimensional war, we can't really be too careful after all."

"But the war is over." said Yuya. "All of the dimensions are at peace."

"For now." said Declan. "But we may not always be able to keep the peace. And though the Lancers we have now are strong, they could be overwhelmed. Remember when we invaded Duel Academy? Their skills were inferior, but their numbers picked us off one by one. We need more strength."

"I...I guess I see your point." said Yuya, curiously looking over the flyer.

"That is where you two come in." said Declan. "Before the Battle Royale, we shall have an Exhibition match. You both will duel each other."

"Us?" Sylvio asked. "In a duel?"

"Correct." said Declan, forming a smile. "We need to show off what the Lancers have to offer, to entice our participants to be their very best. And what better way than to see two of our finest dueltain to their hearts content? And I doubt there will be a single person there who wouldn't love to see a rematch between the two of you."

"I'm all for it." Sylvio smiled. "It's time to please my adoring fans!"

"I think it's a great idea." said Yuya. "And it might be fun."

"Good to hear." said Declan. "You have a week to get settled back in and prepare."

They then arrived at Yuya's house. Yuya got out and waved Declan and Sylvio off. The limo drove away as Yuya walked into his house.

"Hello?" Yuya called out.

He was greeted by his pets, an English Bulldog named Kilo, a poodle named Watt, a corgi named En, and a white cat named Core, who had one yellow eye and one blue eye.

"Hey guys." said Yuya, picking up En, who was his personal favorite. "I've missed you!"

"Yuya!" Yoko called form upstairs. "Is that you?"

"Hey, mom!" said Yuya. "I'm home."

Yoko came down the stairs holding a basket full of laundry, a warm smile on her face.

"Hey there, honey." said Yoko. "Glad to hear you're back so soon. This is a surprise."

"Yeah." said Yuya. "Declan wanted Sylvio and I home early. We're needed for the Battle Royale."

"Yeah, your father told me about that." said Yoko. "He was asked to participate."

"He's participating?" Yuya asked.

"Last I checked." sad Yoko. "Zuzu is participating as well."

"That's great." said Yuya.

"I know." said Yoko. "Speaking of them, have you said hi to them yet?"

"No, I just got back." said Yuya.

"Then you better hurry." said Yoko. "The school is going to be closing soon."

"Right." said Yuya. "I'll be home for dinner."

Yuya then stepped back outside. He jumped and, with a flick of feet, his skates materialized. He then rode off towards the You Show Duel School. Yugo, Yuri, and Yuto appeared alongside him.

"A Battle Royale." said Yuri, a hungry look in his eyes. "Sounds like a treat. Makes me wish I still had a body of my own."

"I know, right?" Yugo said. "Some people have all the luck."

"Who says you guys can't participate?" Yuya smiled. "I may need your help, after all."

"I'm sure it would be fun." said Yuto. "But the duel between you and Sylvio should remain that way, just the two of you. It wouldn't fair for us to interfere."

"I agree." said Yuya. "However, I have a feeling that won't be the only time we duel during that event."

"Whatever the case, I'm pumped." said Yugo. "I wonder who else is going to be there?"

"All of the Lancers, no doubt." said Yuri. "Yusho and Zuzu will be there as well. If I had to guess, probably some duelists from duel academy too."

"Sounds like a safe bet." said Yuto. "Knowing Declan, he'd spare no expense, bringing in as many duelists as he can from everywhere he could find."

"Let's see what everyone knows about it." said Yuya.

* * *

"Sylvio, this is your house?" Kiori asked in surprise when Sylvio walked into his mansion.

"Yup." said Sylvio. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

They were in the main hall, which was made of white marble. There were grand stairs leading up to the upper floors. Maids and butlers all walked throughout the halls, going about their business and duties. One butler came up to Sylvio and bowed to him with an affectionate smile.

"Master Sylvio." said the butler. "So pleased to see you home."

"Hello, Gaston." said Sylvio. "Gaston, this is Kiori. She'll be staying with us for a little bit."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Kiori." said Gaston, bowing again. "I'll have someone bring you to your room."

He then clapped his hand. A maid and another butler came by. They took Kiori's things and brought her upstairs.

"Does master Furio know you're home?" Gaston asked.

"Hopefully." said Sylvio. "I called Jordon and he said he'd pass along the message."

"Jordon is most reliable." said Gaston. "Besides, I think your father said he'd be home early today."

"Good." said Sylvio.

"Can we perhaps get you something, sir?" Gaston asked.

"No, I'm fine for now." said Sylvio. "But please attend to Kiori. I've got some work to do. Let me know when my father is home."

"Of course, sir." Gaston said.

"Oh, and Gaston." said Sylvio. "I missed you, my friend."

"I missed you too, young master." Gaston smiled.

Gaston then bowed again and went towards Kiori's room. Sylvio walked into the den nearby and sat down on the couch. He then took out his deck and carefully looked it over. Even during their training, it had been some time since he really looked at his deck. He carefully examined each card, trying to link new strategies together.

 _I want to do something only I can do._ Sylvio said to himself. _I know I can bring out the best in my opponents. But what can I do to bring out the best in myself?_

For what felt like hours, Sylvio examined his deck. Then, he heard a familiar, disgruntled voice from the hall. It was his father. Sylvio got up and prepared himself. He then entered the main hall.

Furio Sawatyori was a very different man compared to his son. He was a short, portly man who wears an orange double breasted suit. He has black hair, large eyebrows, and a mustache.

"Kaitlin, get me my slippers!" Furio barked, taking off his shoes. "And prepare me a nice snack. I'm not in a good mood today!"

"When are you ever in a good mood." Sylvio muttered.

Furio then looked in Sylvio's direction. His face became more relaxed, seeing his son.

"Well, look who's home." said Furio. "How are you, my boy?"

"Peachy." said Sylvio.

"I wish I could say the same." said Furio. "I had an awful day. Bunch of hacks, wanting to pass some ridiculous legislations. It's almost like they don't know I'm charge, the greedy rats."

"I'm sure." said Sylvio.

He then followed his father into the dining room. The room was long and had an elegant table that could sit up to twelve people. Furio sat down at the chair on the far end, waiting for his food.

"Kaitlin!" Furio barked again. "My snack!"

"Coming, sir." said the maid.

A tray of sweets being pushed by the maid, Kaitlin, then came through a pair of double doors near Furio's seat. The maid placed the sweets on the table as Furio looked over them, a greedy look in his eyes.

"Ah, finally." said Furio. "I've been looking forward to this all day!"

"Father, we need to talk." said Sylvio.

"Oh, yes, I suppose." said Furio, eating a piece of cake. "Don't worry, your guest can stay. Just make sure they don't make a mess of-"

"Not that." said Sylvio.

Sylvio then took out the flyer for the Battle Royale. Furio looked it over.

"So this is what Declan's been up to." said Furio. "He's had our event department going mad. Haven't had to do this much organizing since the Arc-League Championship. I swear, if his family wasn't so influential, I'd-"

"You're going to that event." said Sylvio.

"Eh?" Furio asked.

"I said, you're going to that event." said Sylvio. "And that's not a request."

"Whatever do you mean?" Furio asked.

"I'm participating in that event." said Sylvio. "I'm part of the Lancers after all and Declan asked me to participate in an exhibition match against Yuya. A sort of, rematch, from our Arc-League duel. Not that you would know anything about that."

"I saw that duel." said Furio. "You lost. It was a pure shame."

"No, you saw the recording of that duel." said Sylvio. "If you saw the real thing, you would know that my loss wasn't a shame."

"Son, losing is always a shame." said Furio. "Losers get nowhere in life. You know that."

"That's not always the case." said Sylvio. "That's been proven to me over the years."

"Oh really?" Furio chuckled.

"Really." said Sylvio. "And to prove it, you're going to that event. You're going to see me duel. Like I said, that's not a request."

"I'd love to, son." said Furio. "But-"

"Don't make that excuse!" Sylvio interrupted, slamming his hand on the table. "Do you know how many years I've heard you say 'I'm too busy?' whenever I have something? Every time. EVERY time. And I let you get away with it. Well, not this time."

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Furio sniffed.

"I'm not making a threat." said Sylvio. "I'm not asking as an employee or a rival. I'm you're son! And if you really cared about me, then I shouldn't even need to be making this demand!"

Sylvio then sighed and turned around, leaving a very shocked Furio behind to eat his sweets.

* * *

Yuya pulled into the You Show Duel School and walked up the stairs. He walked in to see the tail end of a duel between Allen and Saya.

"Ironwolf, direct attack!" Allen said.

His monster rammed into Saya, sending her flying. Her life points then dropped to zero, winning him the duel.

"Oh, yeah!" said Allen. "That's three in a row, this week!"

"Nice to see you've been improving." said Yuya.

Everyone turned and shouted in joy. Zuzu was the first to get to Yuya, enveloping him in a huge hug. Everyone else then joined in.

"We've missed you!" said Zuzu.

"I can tell." Yuya smiled.

"Hey there, Yuya." said Skip. "Good to see that you made back. How was the training?"

"It was great." said Yuya.

Yuya then told everyone about his training with Sylvio. He told them about the trial to get inside, about his lessons with Henshuta, even the dream he had with Zarc.

"Sounds intense." said Gong. "Must have been quite the experience, battling Zarc."

"It was something I'm not gonna forget anytime soon." said Yuya.

"Did you finish your training?" Tate asked.

"No." said Yuya. "I'm gonna have to go back eventually. Declan just needed Sylvio and I for Battle Royale coming up."

"Makes sense." said Skip. "It sounds like all of the Lancers are going to be there."

"Really?" Yuya asked.

"Yeah." said Gong. "Declan gave Gong and the lot of us the lowdown. It looks like we're all going to be in there, dueling the participants during the Battle Royale."

"I see." said Yuya. "This all really is some big test."

Yuya then smiled, an excited smile.

"Well, I'm just getting more pumped by the second." said Yuya. "I can't wait to see who's gonna join us."

"I'm a little nervous." said Saya. "I've never been in a competition like it."

"Don't get so worked up." said Allen. "We'll be fine. Before you know it, we'll be calling ourselves Lancers by next week!"

A bell then rang, signifying that school was over.

"Well, we'll have plenty more to discuss about it later." said Skip. "Right now, we should all get home."

Everyone nodded and began to walk out. Everyone except Zuzu and Gong.

"Yuya, hold on a second." said Zuzu.

"What's up?" Yuya asked.

"A lot's been happening since you left." said Gong. "And none of it has been good."

The two of them told Yuya about Eric Samson and the fact that he's been trying to recruit students. They also told them about the hooded man that attacked Zuzu.

"That's insane!" said Yuya.

"And that's why we think Declan is having this Battle Royale." said Gong. "It all started happening after Zuzu's attack."

"But who could have done it?" Yuya asked. "Was it that Samson guy?"

"I don't think so." said Zuzu. "The hooded man said he was after the soul of Ray."

"Ray?" Yuya asked. "Ray Akabab? But why?"

"Who knows." said Gong. "All Gong knows is, we've got watch each others backs. Something fishy is going on, if you ask Gong."

"No kidding." said Yuya.

"C'mon, we better get going." said Zuzu.

The three nodded and head outside. As they walked, Yuya remembered something. He took out a new card and read it over.

"Whats that?" Zuzu asked.

"It's." said Yuya, nervously. "It's for you."

He then handed the card to Zuzu. She looked it over, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Performapal Grand Conductor?" Zuzu asked.

"Yeah." said Yuya. "I thought you could use it. You know, it looks like it has synergy with your deck."

"Yuya." Zuzu blushed. "That's really sweet."

"Of course." Yuya smiled.

The three of them then walked back home, eager for the next few days.


	18. Chapter 18

**Authors Note: I'm still alive people. Just really busy with post grad life. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter! I'm back baby!**

* * *

Episode 18: Promises

In the dimension of white nothingness, the masked figure, named Fukion, was looking down upon the monster in the sphere. The beast roared, an earth shattering roar. Fukion then looked up at a chandelier. It had eight candles on it, all in a circle. Three of the candles were lit with black flames.

"Soon, all of the candles will be lit." said Fukion, bowing before the monster. "Soon, you will be restored. Soon, you will purge all dimensions. Soon, you will be reborn, master."

The monster roared again, it's roar echoing across the dimension.

* * *

Yuya slept soundly in his bed. It had been three days since returning home and he had been working himself ragged, training for the Battle Royale. He and his fellow Lancers were attending LID every day, training under Declan. Declan told them about who would be participating and how the Battle Royale was going to work. They trained vigorously, keeping their dueling in peak condition.

Yuya rolled over, snoring loudly. A voice then sounded out.

"Yuya." the voice said, in a calm, welcoming manner. "Yuya. I must speak with you. Yuya."

Yuya mumbled in his sleep, but did not wake.

"Yuya." said the voice. "Please. You must get up. I haven't much time."

"Five more minutes." Yuya mumbled.

"Yuya." said the voice.

"Ngh." Yuya grumbled. He then sat up in bed. "Ok, ok. I'm up."

Yuya was then startled to see that he was no longer in his bed. He was in a void of nothingness. He frantically looked around, wondering what was going on.

"I got a bad feeling I know where this is going." said Yuya.

"Your intuition is exceptional." said the voice.

The source of the voice then materialized in front of him. It was Astrograph Sorcerer.

"It's you." said Yuya.

"Indeed." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "It pleases me to finally have just enough strength to truly speak with you. How long I will have though, remains to be seen."

"Where are we?" Yuya asked. "Where have you taken me?"

"Would you believe that this is my homeworld?" Astrograph Sorcerer asked.

"Your homeworld?" Yuya asked.

"Yes." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I briefly brought you here before."

"I remember." said Yuya. "And I also remember what's here."

Sure enough, Yuya could see it in the distance. A large city floating in the air. And, underneath the city, a large orb holding the monster inside of it. However, Yuy also saw an orb hanging above the city.

"What's in that orb?" Yuya asked.

"My goddess." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "The one who sent me on my mission."

"What mission?" Yuya asked.

"The mission to befriend strong warriors." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "That is where you come in."

"And Zarc." said Yuya.

"Yes." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Originally, it was Zarc. But Zarc is no more. And he betrayed me, turning back on his promise."

"What promise?" Yuya asked.

Astrograp Sorcerer then raised its staff. The scene changed around him. They were now in the city from Yuya's vision. The Original Dimension.

"I remember this place." said Yuya.

"Indeed." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I also saw the duel between you and Zarc. Our minds are connected, after all."

"Really?" Yuya asked.

"Yes." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "However, because of my current state, I can't communicate with you as well as Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. Right now, I am still recovering from Zarc's last defeat."

"So, are you in my mind?" Yuya asked. "Like Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri?"

"No." said Astrogragh Sorcerer. "I am within your pendant."

"My pendant." said Yuya, looking at it.

"Come. This way." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

Yuya followed Astrograph Sorcerer, the two of them floating high in the air. Nobody could see them though or at least nobody said anything as they floated by. They stopped in front of a shopping plaza. Above the plaza was a large television screen. On the screen, a young lady was standing in a stadium, which changed around her in the blink of eye.

"It's dueling like you've never seen before!" the lady said. "Real action, real locations, real monsters! All thanks to the amazing capabilities of the ARC system."

Yuya looked around the plaza. There was a crowd watching the screen. People were whispering in excitement. Yuya then saw a very familiar face among them. He was standing near the middle of the crowd, listening to the announcement intently. He had an eager smile on his face.

It was Zarc.

"There he is." said Yuya.

"Yes." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "This is where our story begins."

Zarc turned and left the crowd. He was still in an excited mood. He pulled out his deck and began to flip through it.

"Real dueling." Zarc said to himself. "Imagine the possibilities now. This is exciting!"

The scene then changed right before their very eyes. It was now night time. Yuya saw Zarc sitting on the grass in park, looking up at the stars above. And to Yuya's surprise, he wasn't alone.

With him was a girl, about his age. She had long, maroon and dark red hair that were tied into twin ponytails, like Zuzu's. She wore a long sleeved skirt and had a thigh strap. Yuya knew exactly who she was. This had to be Ray Akaba

"I'm a little nervous." Zarc said to Ray.

"You'll be fine." said Ray.

"That's easy for you to say." said Zarc. "You've been in the professional league for years. And you know the ARC system in and out. Your dad invented it after all."

"That doesn't mean anything." said Ray. "After all, they say the creator of duel monsters wasn't even the best at his own game."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean Pegasus was a pushover." said Zarc.

"You won't be either." said Ray. "Just do what you do best, Zarc. Have fun! That's all that matters, even in the professional league."

"If you say so." said Zarc.

"I need to get home." said Ray. She then put her hand on Zarc's shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure." said Zarc. He gave Ray a warm smile as she left.

"They knew each other." said Yuya.

"Why do you think you and Zuzu are so close?" Astrograph Sorcerer asked.

"I thought it was because Ray was trying to prevent Zarc's resurrection." said Yuya.

"That's certainly part of it." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "And, as you may know, their friendship doesn't last. But we'll get to that later. Keep watching."

Yuya nodded and turned back to Zarc. Zarc continued to gaze at the stars. He then squinted. Yuya looked up and saw a flash. Something was heading towards them. And it was heading down fast.

"Woah!" said Zarc.

He leapt aside as the object landed hard on the ground. Zarc coughed as dust fluttered into the air. He waved the dust away and looked at the object on the ground.

However, it wasn't an object. It was a person. More specifically, it was Astrograph Sorcerer.

"Where did you come from?" Zarc asked. "Are you ok?"

Astrograph Sorcerer was breathing very deeply. He looked exhausted and hurt. Zarc slowly approached him. The monster then burst into light. His form shrunk as the light got brighter. When the light stopped, Astrograph Sorcerer was no longer there. In his place was Yuya's pendant.

Zarc cautiously picked up the pendant and examined it.

"What is this?" Zarc asked.

The scene changed again. They were now inside a bedroom. Zarc was there, twirling the pendant curiously.

"Hello?" Zarc said.

The form of Astrograph Sorcerer then materialized in front of Zarc. Zarc seemed unfazed, he simply blinked at the apparition in front of him.

"Who are you?" Zarc asked.

"A friend." said Astrograph. "And someone who is in need of help. What is your name?"

"Zarc." said Zarc. "What's yours?"

"You may call me, Astrograph Sorcerer." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

"Quite a name." said Zarc. "Mind if I just call you, Astro?"

"I have no objections." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

"Perfect." said Zarc with a pleasant smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

"You said you needed help." said Zarc. "And you looked hurt when I saw you earlier."

"Yes." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I was chased here. I am in need of warriors, strong duelists to aid in my quest. And, just by looking at you, you have potential."

"Why do you need warriors?" Zarc asked.

"My homeworld is in civil war." said Astrograph. "And my people are on the losing end. We are looking for outside help, anyone that can be of aid."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Zarc asked. "Let's go!"

"Hold a moment." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I do not have the strength to bring us back. Besides, I said you have the potential to be a strong warrior. You are not ready yet."

"Then let me prove myself." said Zarc. "What do I need to do?"

Astrograph Sorcerer put his hand on his chin. He then outstretched one of his hands. A card then formed and floated above his open hand.

"Take this monster." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "It will give you strength. The stronger you become, the more strength I will give you."

Zarc eagerly took the card and looked it over. Yuya looked at it too and saw that it was Odd-Eyes Dragon.

"Interesting." said Zarc. "So, you want to see if I'm capable of using this card?"

"More than that." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I want to see you bond with that card. A powerful force lives in that card and only a few can truly master it. I wish for you two to become as one, in body, mind and soul."

Zarc nodded and continued to admire his new dragon. At the last words of the past Astrograph Sorcerer, Yuya felt a chill run down his spine.

"I'll tell you what?" Zarc said. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

"Oh?" Astrograph Sorcerer asked, eyebrow raised. "What do you propose?"

"I'm about to enter the professional dueling league." said Zarc. "You give me the strength I need to become the best, I'll handle the rest. You want me to become stronger and frankly, so do I. Then, when we're both ready, we can get back to your homeworld. Deal?"

"Very well." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I don't seem to have much of a choice at the moment, anyway."

Zarc and Astrograph Sorcerer both nodded in agreement. The scene then began to change again.

"I should have chosen my words more carefully." said the present Astrograph Sorcerer. "I was foolish."

"We all make mistakes." said Yuya.

"I suppose." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "But this one was costly. I could feel a darkness in Zarc's heart. It was small, almost unnoticeable, but it could and would grow if left unchecked. You noticed how Zarc was unfazed by my appearance, all too eager to receive more power."

"I noticed." said Yuya. "I wonder if Zarc even cared about your homeworld."

"I truly believe he did. In the beginning at least." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

The scenes then began to rapidly change before them. Yuya watched as Zarc dueled opponent after opponent. It really was a spectacle to watch. Yuya looked on as Zarc rode on Odd-Eyes, leaping and jumping about with a look of pure glee on his face. The crowd cheered in awe as Zarc took down his opposition. And, after every duel, Zarc would shake the other duelists hand.

"So much like you." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "If only it lasted."

Yuya knew what was coming next. He saw the image of Zarc accidentally injuring one of his opponents. He saw Zarc run up to them, checking to see if they were okay. He heard the roar of the crowd. He saw Zarc look out into the crowd in shock and confusion.

The images continued to change. Yuya watched more of Zarc's duels, seeing them grow progressively more aggressive and dangerous. The scene then stopped. They were in a hallway that lead to the stadium. Zarc was walking out. He immediately seemed very different than when Yuya saw him last. Yuya could see a crazed look in his eyes.

"Zarc, wait!" the voice of Ray sounded out.

Zarc turned to see Ray running towards him.

"Zarc, you can't go out there." said Ray.

"Why?" Zarc said. "Are you afraid that I'm gonna lose?"

"No." said Ray. "I'm scared of you winning. Zarc, you've changed."

"I haven't changed." Zarc smirked. "The crowd has."

"Zarc, please." said Ray. "I'm scared for you."

"Don't be." said Zarc. "I'm going out there and I'm going to win. And trust me, it'll be a moment no one will ever forget."

The scene changed again. Yuya saw the familiar scene of Zarc unleashing his dragons upon the world. He then saw Zarc use Astrograph Sorcerer to fuse himself with the dragons, becoming the Supreme King Z-ARC.

"Why did you do it?" Yuya asked. "Why did you fulfill Zarc's wishes?"

"I had no choice." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I was too weak to fight back."

Z-ARC devasted the land before him. The dragon breathed fire, blasted a green beam from his mouth, and sent red lightning from the sky. While he did this, Z-ARC laughed, an evil wretched laugh.

"I can't watch any more of this." said Yuya.

"You won't need to." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

The scene changed again. Yuya saw Leo Akaba in his lab, desperately typing on his computer.

"There must be a solution." Leo said. "A way to defeat Zarc."

"There could be a way." said the voice of Astrograph Sorcerer.

"Who is there?" Leo demanded.

The past Astrograph Sorcerer then appeared, his form transparent.

"Leo Akaba." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "We must both make up for our mistakes. We are both responsible for the creation of Zarc. Please, take these."

Astrograph Sorcerer then opened his hand and four blank spell cards appeared. These must have been the cards made to defeat Zarc.

"Travel the world." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Find the wonders of the Earth. Use these cards to embody their power. This is your only chance to stop Zarc. Please, make up for our mistakes."

Leo cautiously took the blank cards and examined them. Astrograph Sorcerer then disappeared.

The scene changed once more. Now Yuya was watching as Ray Akaba faced off against Zarc.

"I wish it didn't have to come to this, my friend." said Ray.

"Ha, ha, ha." Zarc laughed. "I wondered when you would show your face. It's time we settled things once and for all."

"No, Zarc." said Ray. "We have nothing to settle. I'm ending this once and for all."

"Please." said Zarc. "You do not have the power to stop me."

"But I do." said a voice.

Astrogrpah Sorcerer then appeared. He raised his staff as Ray drew her cards.

"What is this?" Zarc demanded. "What are you doing?"

"Quickly Ray." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Activate your father's cards!"

"I play these spells." said Ray. "En Moon, En Winds, En Flowers, and En Birds!"

All at once, the four spell cards began to take effect. The ashen remains of Zarc's destruction began to spring to life with flowers. Light burst from these flowers, as well as the wind and the moon, gathering in front of Ray.

"Ray, no!" Leo Akaba's voice shouted out as he approached them. "Don't do this!"

Yuya knew it was too late though. Leo ran towards Ray but was knocked down by a force field.

"Ray." said Leo. "No! Those cards contain all the forces of nature. Your body can't withstand all that energy!"

The energy being gathered by the cards began to form onto Ray. Yuya looked at Zarc, who was visibly very agitated.

"Stop it, Ray!" Leo pleaded. "Please! You aren't going to survive!"

"Ray, do not listen." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I know this is not easy, but it must be done. Keep going!"

Bracelets then began to form around Ray's arm, the same bracelets that Zuzu and her counterparts wore. The gems on the bracelets burst into all colors of light. Zarc's dragon form roared in pain. Yuya then saw a more human face appear on Zarc's chest as well, crying out in agony. There was shimmer as Yuya saw glimpses of the four dimension dragons appear in front of them.

"Stop it!" Zarc's human face demanded. "Stop it now or you will suffer the consequences!"

Ray remained unfazed. Then, before there very eyes, Zarc exploded into the four dragons, which were sent flying. Ray split apart as well, becoming four shadows of herself. There was a massive shower of lights of all color, then nothing.

Yuya looked around, not recognizing where he was. They seemed to be in a void, surrounded by multi-colored mist.

"Where are we?" Yuya asked.

"The space between dimensions." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "You would not remember this place, since the last time you were in it, you were Zarc."

"So this is where we ended up?" Yuya asked. "After the ARC-V system was activated?"

"Yes." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "And after the battle between Ray and Zarc. Both used such an enormous amount of energy, they were able to create hole into this world. They both also caused the creation of new dimensions."

Astrograph Sorcerer pointed to their right. Yuya saw orbs the size of planets forming. One was orange, one was white, one was purple, and one was black.

"The four dimensions." said Yuya.

"Correct." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "They are forming through the mingling energy of Ray and the dragons who will eventually inhabit that dimension. Each dragon now has a piece of Zarc's soul with it as well. And, as you know, the vessel Zarc would inhabit is you."

"Why me?" Yuya asked. "I feel like Yuri would be a better choice."

"I heard that." said Yuri's voice.

Yuya's counterparts then appeared before them.

"Were you guys listening the whole time?" Yuya asked.

"Yes." said Yuto. "We at first felt like this should remain between the two of you. However, I think we have a right to get some info too."

"Yeah." said Yugo. "So, magician guy, why was Yuya chosen as Zarc's vessel?"

"I would think that would be obvious." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

"I think I know why." said Yuya. "Odd-Eyes Dragon."

"Correct." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Odd-Eyes was Zarc's first ace monster. They become close, like family. That is not to say that Zarc did not love his other dragons just as much, but he always held a special soft spot for Odd-Eyes."

"I think there's more than just that." said Yuya. "I think a small part of Zarc was still good. Maybe that goodness turned into me. That's why Zarc chose me. He knew I would to dueltain again, so he gave me life where I could do that, so he could relive those memories."

"There is some merit to that thinking." said Astrograph. "However, there is more to the story."

The group then appeared in a new area. This place was a dimension of navy blue.

"This is the inside of your pendant." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "My home."

"You've been here this entire time?" Yuri asked. "Not much of a home."

"Agreed." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "But I was much too weak to revive fully. The fact that I'm still alive astounds me to this day. However, I was able to watch as you grew up Yuya. Through that."

Before them was a statue with a giant crystal in it. It looked exactly like Yuya's pendant. The past Astrograph Sorcerer slowly crawled towards it. He looked into the crystal, watching as a little Yuya was eating breakfast with his family.

"I pray that you can keep Zarc's promise, little one." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "And when the time comes, you do not meet the same fate as he does."

Astrograph Sorcerer then looked at the top of the statue. At the top was green and orange light, flickering in the center where Yuya's string would be for his pendant.

"I know not what that power is." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "But I hope it helps you when the time is right."

"That light." said Yuya. "That must be the power of pendulum."

"It is indeed." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

"Amazing." said Yuto. "That one little ball light would lead to something so incredible."

"Big things have small beginnings." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Now, observe."

They watched as the scene in the crystal changed. It was years later, during Yuya's duel against the Sledgehammer.

"It's time to swing into action!" said Yuya as he drew his card. "Ok Pendulum, you swung his way, now you'll swing my way!"

The light above the statue then shined brightly. The light engulfed the statue. Moments later, Yuya's pendulum shined brightly as well. The light changed Yuya's cards to pendulum monsters.

"Incredible." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "I've never seen a power like this before."

The scene changed again. It was the night that Yuya fused with Yuto. They saw as Yuto smiled at Yuya and lifted up his hand to give him Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon.

"This is yours." Yuto smiled. "Take it Yuya. Always remember, use your power to keep the world entertained and smiling."

"I will." said Yuya. "For you."

"No!" Astrograph Sorcerer screamed. "Do not take it!"

Yuya could not hear them though. Yuya took the card and then Yuto disappeared into a burst of blue blight. Yuya then absorbed the light. Afterwards, he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"No." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Please, don't let this happen again."

However, the scene changed again. They were now watching the duel between Yuya and Iggy Arlo, the first time Zarc began to take over. They watched as the pendulum statue grew dark. A shadow formed over it, which then melted off of it. The shadow then took the form of Zarc's soul.

"No." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Then you lived!"

"Of course." said Zarc. "No thanks to you, you traitor!"

"You are the traitor." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "You took advantage of my power."

"And I'll take it all back." said Zarc. "I'm already half way there after all."

"I won't let you." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

The monster raised his staff and tried to attack Zarc. However, he quickly fell down as Zarc laughed.

"Save your strength." said Zarc. "I'll have need of you eventually."

Zarc then flew up into the air, disappearing. A few moments later, Yuya turned into his berserk form as Zarc took control.

The scenes then changed to all the times Yuya went berserk. His duel against Obelisk Force, against Crow, against Barrett where Zarc nearly resurrected.

"All this time, I was powerless." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Though I was slowly regaining my strength as I am now. However, history repeated itself."

The next scene was of Yuya after his defeat of Yuri. Yuya shivered, remembering this as the moment when Zarc took full control.

"I won Declan." said Yuya. "You wanted me to focus on winning and I won."

Yuya's hair then began to spike up. Everyone present looked on in surprise.

"Yuya?" Riley asked tentatively.

"I won." said Yuya. He then turned and when he spoke next, his voice become Zarc's. "Just like you wanted."

Everyone looked on in shock.

"No, no!" Astrograph Sorcerer cried out.

"And from now on." said Yuya/Zarc. "There isn't any more dueltaining. Only winning!"

A tornado of dark mist then formed around Yuya. Astrograph Sorcerer was being pulled by the wind that the mist formed, pulled into the crystal.

"No, not again." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "Please not again!"

"You wanted a more brutal duel." said Zarc/Yuya. "So I gave it to you!"

"The rest is history, as they say." said Astrograph Sorcerer.

The scene then returned to the white void of Astrograph Sorcerer's homeworld.

"So Zarc promised to help you." said Yugo. "But turned his back on you instead."

"He could not handle the power I gave him." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "It consumed him and he made it his own. I should have-"

The are then began to get hazy as Astrograph Sorcerer let out a strained groan. He got on his hands and knees, moaning in pain.

"What's wrong?" Yuya asked.

"I've used up too much of my time." said Astrograph Sorcerer. "We will need to continue this another time."

There was a flash and then Yuya found himself back in his room. His counterparts then appeared as well.

"Are you okay?" Yuto asked.

"Yeah." said Yuya. "That was weird."

"Tell me about it." said Yuri. "But at least we have some more information."

"I think its time we told Declan." said Yuya. "We'll tell him tomorrow. He needs to know this. Somebody needs to know this."


End file.
